re: Why do so many religious right wingers have such a hard-on over Israel?

If you are an evangelical Christian, Zionism should be viewed as an abomination. If you believe the Bible to be the literal word of God, only He, through his Messiah, can re-establish the nation of Israel as it exists in Scripture. The attempt by humans to re-establish a nation comprised of largely secular Jews and calling it Israel should be seen as prideful blasphemy.