McCain's Hagee problem: No, wait, my final answer is that gays really were responsible for Katrina

The Rev. John Hagee, a controversial religious figure from whom John McCain aggressively sought an endorsement, has again shifted his story about God sending Hurricane Katrina to destroy New Orleans because a gay pride event was planned there.

Hagee's original comments to National Public Radio made headlines in the wake of Katrina. Hagee said:

All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are -- were recipients of the judgment of God for that. The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment. And I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.

That statement led to media to ask McCain, after aggressively seeking the support of Hagee, do you agree with his statements? McCain said:

"It's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense. I don't have anything additional to say. It's nonsense, it's nonsense, it's nonsense, I don't have anything more to say. … it's nonsense. I reject that categorically."

As the media cycle continued, Hagee retracted his previous statements:

As a believing Christian, I see the hand of God in everything that happens here on earth, both the blessings and the curses. But ultimately neither I nor any other person can know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina. I should not have suggested otherwise. No matter what the cause of the storm, my heart goes out to all who suffered in this terrible tragedy. There but for the grace of God go any one of us.

But Wednesday, Hagee said, that he did indeed mean what he originally said.

When a woman on the call asked why he seemed to have backed away from his Katrina comments in face of criticism, Hagee said he hadn’t. As for the Katrina, he said, God controls hurricanes and “God always punishes unconfessed sin.” You do the math.