Fundamentalist preachers and doctrines have for long been part of the American landscape. In recent years, starting with Billy Graham, they have moved prominently into the political arena with bromides and nostrums on domestic and foreign policy. Take Pastor John Hagee, a Texas-based evangelical. He broadcasts on radio and TV and has reportedly millions of listeners and viewers. His flock buys his many books in large numbers. He offers this sagacious advice on the Middle East to his followers: "The United States must join Israel in a preemptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plans for both Israel and the West, a biblically prophesized end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to Rapture, Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ."

Chip Berlet
Chip Berlet is senior analyst with Political Research Associates, the Somerville, Massachusetts-based organization. PRA monitors and reports on the political right wing. His articles appear in The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Progressive magazine. He is the editor of "Eyes Right: Challenging the Right Wing Backlash" and co-author of "Right-Wing Populism in America."