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TechnoratiI wondered if Rick Warren would really try to find out where John McCain and Barack Obama are coming from concerning their faith. Although I believe Warren could have spent a little more time with some tough follow-up questions, I would have to say overall he did a good job. He didn’t shy away from the hard questions over abortion, homosexual marriage, personal faith, and moral consistency. I think he caught both candidates a bit off-guard with some of the questions (particularly the question “Does evil exist?) but overall, both candidates faired very well. We didn’t see or hear a “smoking gun” or “gotcha” moment that will make headlines for the next several days but if people were really listening to the questions and answers what we did see and hear was a grand canyon sized difference in the candidates core values.
There were two moments where Barack Obama seemed obviously uncomfortable and unprepared. He had to know he was going to get the abortion question but I think he was thrown off base by the way the question was phrased. Obama thought he was going to get a generic question about his views on abortion and instead, Warren hit him with when does life begin? Obama’s answer was not very inspiring for someone who is supposed to be one of the smartest people on the planet. Obama said, “Whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade.” He sputtered on to say, “I am pro-choice. I believe in Roe V. Wade and come to that conclusion not because I’m pro-abortion, but because I don’t think women make these decisions casually.”
Obama’s answer makes if very hard for born-again evangelicals who are trying to turn Obama into a pro-life candidate to make a case. When it comes to when life begins he doesn’t know. When it comes to whether you protect that life or not it’s up to the mother. His answer reveals that he is not some kind of “new Democrat” who is busy carving out a new path for the Party on abortion, but rather a old school Democrat who will protect abortion at every level and at any cost.
My dad used to have a saying, “Be sure you can back up what is in the display window with what you have in the stock room.” By asking the abortion question as a “when does life begin” question, Warren forced Obama to reveal the contents of the stock room.
John McCain’s best moment came with the abortion question. When McCain was asked “At what point does a baby get human rights in your view” without pause, hesitation, or stuttering, McCain said, “At the moment of conception.” After the longest applause of the night died down he added, “I have a 25-year pro-life record in Congress and as President of the United States, I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies.” Talk about hitting one out of the park…McCain blasted that question into the upper deck, over the green monster at Fenway. His answer was crisp, concise, and clear leaving absolutely no room for ambiguity. Now we will have to see if he backs his answer up by choosing a pro-life running mate. Continue »
