Here is Rev. Blair's response on my diary, reprinted in full (bold mine):

Response to my interview on the Daily Show

If you have arrived here because of the unfortunate interview on the Daily Show then please take a moment and read my response. What you saw was over four hours of an interview sliced and diced (they called it editing) with a complete re-interpretation of my original statement for the cause of Christ.

I never said that President Obama was the Antichrist. I did say, however, that he has demonstrated some characteristics of the Antichrist (or the Beast) that will come upon the scene in the last days prior to Christ's Second Coming in glory.

The Bible was quoted that says the Beast would come out of the sea (Revelation 13:1) and then I gave the clear interpretation, which was deleted (or should I say edited) from my interview. This is a symbol that indicates that the Beast will arise at a time of great turbulence in the world, which will allow him to come as a savior for the world, promising them hope and change. It also indicates that he will come out of obscurity to arise suddenly to great prominence and authority. I have written in my book, Final Warning, published three years ago, "The Beast is the manifestation of the dragon (Satan) in worldly power. For the Beast to come out of the sea symbolizes that he is manifested at a time of great turbulence among the nations, at a time when the Christian Church loses its credibility and influence, and at a time when the nations have lost their moral anchor."

The Bible was quoted that the Beast (or the Antichrist) will resemble a leopard (Revelation 13:2) and then I gave the clear interpretation that this symbol indicates that he would be "swift" like a leopard. Again this was explained in length that the Antichrist (or Beast) would move very quickly to enact laws and pass legislation that would give him greater power over the masses. He would move so quickly that most people will not have time to understand what is taking place or the laws that are being enacted. He does this with polished rhetoric leading the world to just put their trust in him and his administration and not question his authority as he moves "swiftly" to change the direction of the nation and the world.

The Bible was quoted that the Beast (or the Antichrist) would have feet like a bear (Revelation 13:2) and then I gave the clear interpretation that this indicates that he will be crushing in his defeat. Again I explained in detail that the Antichrist (or the Beast) will reach out to the entire world to offer peace to anyone who unclenches his fist and for those who refuse they will be soundly defeated. He will attempt to be all things to all people. He will reach out to the believer and the unbeliever, the homosexual and the straight, the Christian and the Muslim in an attempt to grey the lines of intolerance and the exclusiveness of Christianity. I also wrote in my book, Final Warning, published three years ago "This further indicates that he is quick in his advance, crushing in his defeat, and bold in his decision to make war with anyone or any nation who stands in his way to build the Global City of man."

The Bible was quoted that the Beast (or the Antichrist) would have a mouth like a lion (Revelation 13:2) and then I gave the clear interpretation that this symbolizes his great authority among the nations. (See my book Final Warning). He will speak with boldness and clarity leading people to put their trust in him and his administration. Many of his social programs are designed to lead the world to put their trust in godless psychology and the addiction of prescription drugs instead of trusting in Christ alone who is their Wonderful Counselor and Healer.

Perhaps I should not be concerned that the Daily Show tried to make me look like an idiot, but I am saddened that the cause of Christ is damaged for their ratings. Furthermore, the whole point of the interview was entirely missed where I emphatically articulated that Obama is leading the entire population to trust in self and his ability to build the perfect society - "Yes we can." Whereas Jesus Christ is the only One who can bring peace and salvation to the world - "we can't, but He can." Anyone who leads you away from trusting in Christ Jesus exclusively is an Antichrist.

Posted by Rev. Daniel W. Blair
February 28, 2009 9:42 PM

First, before I reply to Rev. Blair's comments, I'd like to thank him for offering his opinions and taking the time to do so on my TPM blog.  Second, I'd like to point out that, for the moment, Rev. Blair created a TPM account solely to respond to my diary, as he has not written anything else for them as of yet.  In fact, he also created an account for the Huffington Post under the handle Daniel7 for the sole purpose of responding to Alex Leo's Feb. 25 column on the Daily Show segment.

I'd also like to draw attention to the lateness of our respective responses.  The reverend's response to my diary was written on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 28.  I, unfortunately, did not discover this response until just today, because my diary was originally published during the early morning of Feb. 25.  I did not think to check it again until well after it had disappeared from the front pages of TPM.

Now, for my response to the reverend, and to each of the statements highlighted in bold above.

Rev. Blair,

You might not have said that Obama was the Antichrist, at least not in those exact words, but I suppose that all depends on what your definition of "was" is.  You did, however, say that Obama shares qualities with the Antichrist by implying that his campaign messages of "hope" and "change" were symbols of the Beast.  You then complain that the Daily Show cleverly disguised what you were really trying to say by careful editing and splicing of the interview.  Whether they edited the interview to make you look worse is irrelevant.  That you compared Obama to the Antichrist at all (not to mention your refusal to deny this claim) is what was offensive and, thus, fuel for Comedy Central.

I think it's also worth mentioning that I've checked out your blog, and on it you have questioned whether Obama is the Antichrist.  In fact, on the very front page of your blog, you have an item about the Saints Against the Antichrist Rebellion (SATAR), a movement dedicated to turning people of faith into soldiers for Christ and eradicating what you consider to be anti-Christian messages.  You call on other Christians to join this movement and download your latest book.  And what do you have strategically placed in the SATAR box?  That's right, a picture of Obama speaking to a large crowd in St. Louis during the Presidential campaign.  If you still think the Daily Show somehow twisted your words or took them out of context, you are mistaken, and the proof is right there on your blog for everyone to see.

I also find it strange how you claim Obama is comparable to the Antichrist because he "moved very quickly to enact laws and pass legislation that would give him greater power over the masses," and that he uses "polished rhetoric" to "lead the world to just put their trust in him and his administration and not question his authority."  It seems peculiar that you would speculate that President Obama might be the Antichrist because of his actions on the bailout bill, and because most Americans voted for his policies.  Tell me, where were you excoriating George W. Bush for passing legislation that gave him greater power over the masses?  You know, unwarranted wiretapping on Americans, illegal torture on prisoners, an expanded unitary executive, the ability to wage war on a country because it supposedly had weapons of mass destruction when it had none.....you remember those kinds of things?  I seem to recall a lot of "polished rhetoric" during the past eight years about how Americans could not question George Bush's authority because we were fighting against terrorists in another country.  Does that make, in your view, George Bush the Antichrist too?

You then continue to bash Obama as a man who will "grey the lines of intolerance and the exclusiveness of Christianity" by reaching out to people of different stripes and colors.  First of all, I should point out, as Obama has done numerous times, that he himself is a Christian, but that's besides the point.  If you are still confused about why many Americans watched that Daily Show segment and were shocked by your statements, it's for this reason: You treat both "intolerance" and "exclusivity" as though they are good things.  I've heard a lot of Christian pastors who've said that atheists, Muslims and gay people are God's children and God loves them, but they are living in sin -- a deeply offensive and terrible thing to say, but that's at least a step up from what you said.  I am now no longer surprised by your outrageous Obama-is-the-Antichrist message, and it's because you actually seem to believe that intolerance towards atheists, Muslims and gay people is good for society.  Try running for public office yourself on the platform of demonizing every non-Christian in America (not just disagreeing or being condescending to them, but actively bringing forth hellfire and brimstone against them), and see how many people vote for you.  But of course, Obama does the opposite thing by running on the messages of tolerance, respect for others, and problem-solving, and that somehow makes him the second coming of the Antichrist.

Finally, you criticize Obama's social programs as ones that will force "godless psychology" and painkillers on everyone.  As I wrote in my previous diary, your "evidence" for this claim is that Obama's stimulus bill includes a "mental health provision that will ultimately give companies power over their employees by requiring that they get psychological counseling and drugs to improve their productivity."  Reverend, there's nothing in the stimulus bill that requires any of this, and yes, I've checked.  Plus, it is surprising how you would slam Obama as a President who would provide people with addictive prescription drugs when George Bush once signed a $400 billion piece of prescription drug legislation.  But more than that, this statement of yours isn't just a criticism of items in the economic stimulus bill which don't exist; it seems to be a criticism of Obama's embracing of science and scientific principles to guide sound policy (or "godless psychology", as you call it).  This, of course, is coming from the same reverend whose blog declares in a January 23, 2008 diary that global warming is a myth and that "we are foolish to think otherwise."  I'm afraid the world's scientists and Obama would disagree with you there, as would most rational Americans.

Oh and furthermore, as somebody who once saw a psychologist twice a week for 11 years of my life as a way of battling some serious language and social problems of my own, I can tell you that I've done alright for myself -- graduated from a top-ranked college, got a master's degree in epidemiology, working for a company that produces those terrible, awful painkillers you decry, having a loving family and a wonderful girlfriend....yes, I think things are looking swell for the godless sinner in me.  But what do I know?  I'm just another heathen who voted for that crazy Antichrist Obama.....

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Cross-posted at Daily Kos