(Lake Forest, CA) Pastor Rick Warren convened his Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency to thunderous applause from a crowd that seemed to be mostly members of his church. After a few words to the crowd, Warren introduced Senator Barack Obama who was welcomed warmly by the audience.
Warren began with questions about leadership and worldviews, first asking Obama who he would listen to as President, to which the Senator wisely responded that his wife Michelle would be on the list.
Asked about his greatest moral failing, Obama talked of his drug and alcohol use as a young man.
Warren asked Obama which current Supreme Court Justice he wouldn't have appointed and was quickly met with "ooh's" from the audience. Obama quickly and carefully answered that Clarence Thomas didn't meet his idea of a qualified Justice and he wouldn't have appointed him. Though he said he respected his intellect, he added Antonin Scalia to the list as well as John Roberts. Before he could mention any others, Warren interrupted him and moved on to the next question.
Obama got in a zinger of his own when, asked by Warren to define "rich" answered "if you've got book sales of 25 million." The crowd roared with good natured laughter at the needling of their pastor.
At the end of the interview Obama had a bit of a Roger Mudd moment when he was asked by he wanted to be President and rambled about his Mother and how she felt about kids who were picked on.
Obama didn't make any major mistakes, and was well received by the crowd.
At the conclusion of the discussion, both men stood, came to the front of the table and Warren then welcomed Senator John McCain to the stage. The three men shook hands, hugged and posed for pictures before Obama left the stage and left McCain and Warren to themselves.
Asked who he would listen to McCain oddly left his wife (sitting in the front row) off of the list, mentioning General David Petraeus, EBay founder Meg Whitman and Congressman John Lewis.
Perhaps the most intense moment came when Warren asked McCain what his greatest moral failing was and after a moment's hesitation replied that it was the failure of his first marriage.
Warren served up the Supreme Court question again to McCain and he predictably listed Souter, Ginsburg, Stevens and Breyer but Warren again interrupted McCain and we will never know if he would have added Anthony Kennedy to the list.
Asked when a baby was entitled to human rights, McCain said it was at the moment of conception and added that he would be a "pro-life President" with a presidency of "pro-life policies." Obama had earlier answered that the question was above his pay grade.
On gay marriage, like Obama, McCain answered that marriage was between a man and a woman, but did not endorse Civil Unions.
Overall, neither candidate made major mistakes, but McCain, perhaps sensing a more receptive crowd, seemed more at ease, tossing out one-liners while Obama seemed sedate at times.
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Why?
Because Obama really didn't do that well in a forum where most thought he would shine. A one on one interview/conversation. It's beginning to seem that the O-man's rhetoric skills are limited to a prepared speech.
The above blogger's observation was this-
"Obama didn't make any major mistakes, and was well received by the crowd."
Debatable at the very least. The crowd was polite to him, he certainly didn't win them over, though he tried with more "run to the right" noise making. Major mistakes? No. But lots of little ones. He also looked very ill at ease at times.
McCain on the other hand, shined. He was personable and engaging. And this assessment comes from someone who will NOT be voting for him come the Fall.
The HuffPo is so far in the tank for Obama that they refuse to be honest with their readers and are determined to spin for the Obama Campaign. My Democratic party and fellow liberals have become an embarrassment using republican/right-wing tactics and a willingness to forgo honest evaluation and truth in a quest to win an election.
Obama '08
The Cross in The Sand story is now, rightfully, being called in to question.
Does anyone remember his pow interrogation story which involved the names of starting players for two DIFFERENT NFL teams, depending on which version McCain wishes to remember/tell?
I don't know your situation in late 2002, but it was not easy to be anti-war back then. many of us did it but we had to first decide whether or not we could stand in the face of such overwhelming support for the invasion - many of us took alot of flak for our position. For those living in Liberal enclaves, it might have been easier - but I didn't live in one so I can't say for certain whether or not that's so.
While our O may have given a politically expedient answer, I dont' think you should deride him for it unless one has intimate access to his thought processes back then.
BTW, you posted this same comment 3 times in 3 different threads ...
There's nothing wrong with repeating comments - Obama does it all the time.
One of the most interesting thing I thought was when Obama mentioned that he doesnt just listen to 3 people that there are many people who's opinion he values. I also love that he said his wife and grandmother see because thats the truthful answer. General Paterous and that Meg Person is the Political answer. I loved why he included his wife he said that she keeps him grounded and is honest with him. He personalize the question but unfortunately folks dont see things like that because saying that you listen to your wife is like saying that you are henpecked. But to me it just solidified how real his marriage is Vs McCain's who seem to treat his wife as just a trophy wife to show. A wife is a partner and a confidante not someone you parade around because they look good and you look good with them.
Carol
It certainly seemed so with McCain's sudden glibness and lucidity. He even referenced the SC question before it was asked.
Was Warren lying about the format? It's the kind of trick an evangelical like...Karl Rove...would embrace. Was this as represented? It really makes a difference (in addition to showing WARREN'S true light).
I'm generally not a conspiracy nut, but I'm also not a naive idiot when it comes to the possibility of a Republican dirty trick or cheat.
If McCain did get an unfair boost, It could have been Warren, or anyone in his organization involved in the preparation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xPkYFH4imw
The bottom line is that the contrast between the two men was stark. Obama seemed soft and imprecise and most concerned about not saying anything that would offend anyone and McCain came across as tough and forceful and not afraid of speaking his real mind. If Barack can't get his game on in time for the debates, and McCain turns in more performances like last night's, there's gonna be trouble in River City.
To me McCain came across as bellicose and a little out of touch, though it was far from a horrible appearance. Obama is more thoughtful and not as black and white, which to me is not imprecise but thoughtful. There is clearly a difference between the two gentlemen's temper and outlook on life. Personally, after eight years of Bush, I prefer someone less knee-jerk.
Second, Obama gave the impression of being the more politically-motivated of the two, playing it safe with a series of lame non-answers to questions that demanded substantive responses. Whether or not you think that David Petraeus or Meg Whitman are people whose advice the POTUS should be seeking, you can't tell me that they don't beat Michelle and Barack's grandmother on the substantiality scale.
Third, McCain used Rick Warren's non-confrontational moderation to his advantage, frequently going outside the bounds of any particular question to talk about what HE wanted to talk about. As a consequence, he was much more in control of the exchange, and worked it to far better advantage than did Obama.
Finallly, McCain was able to use his personal history to connect to the audience and illustrate his character in a way that Barack couldn't.
Hopefully it might just be the case where McCain won this particular battle but has given away his tactical position to Obama that will lose him the campaign war. In other word, McCain might have come out of the gate fast , but as time goes on these bumpber sticker rim shots may were thin with voters, but only if Obama mounts a powerful counterattack in the coming debates. If not, welcome president McCain.