Saddleback Civil Forum featuring Barak Obama and John McCain

I was fortunate enough to be in the live audience for this monumental event. Hearing the candidates talk about their own views without being interrupted was enlightening and a nice break from what usually happens at these kinds of events. Having each candidate answer questions for an hour was a stroke of genius; especially since they both answered the same questions.

The discussion that followed afterward at dinner and later while watching political commentary on the new networks was the best I've seen to date. Both the liberal and conservative media had very similar comments to make about what happened. The shame of it is that we'll be back to politics and media biased reporting soon. For the moment, however, I'm enjoying the break.

My opinion is in line with most of what I've heard. Obama was talking more in theory while McCain gave direct and decisive answers. Obama's answers came across as he was forming his opinions as he spoke. I don't fault him for this in an age where every word is pulled apart for months in the media. Anybody remember flip-flop at the John Kerry rallies.

The problem for Obama in this scenario is that his style worked against him. When McCain answered the same questions, the answer was quick and decisive, then was fleshed out by commentary or a story. Obama was just the opposite. He would start by commentary or a story and eventually get to an answer. I think that killed him and gave McCain what he needed to ratchet up his support among voters.

Another thing that I think hurt Obama among evangelicals was the tentative nature of his answers about his faith. He did a great job answering these questions, but threw in a few words that took the punch out of his message. For instance, when mentioning being forgiven for his sins, he tacked on the words "I hope" after his comment. Christians know they're forgiven. What I'm afraid will happen is that those who argue that Obama is Muslim will use that against him. Last week I listened to a former Muslim speak on this specific issue. Muslims, according to this speaker, don't believe they will know whether or not they get to heaven until after they die. When Obama tacked on the words "I hope" in reference to the forgiveness of his sins, I think that may have hurt him when considering his audience.

On another hand, McCain had his $5,000,000 moment that the media was having a good time with today. That figure was in reference to how much do you have to make in order to be considered rich. It was obviously his attempt to make a point. However, it will undoubtedly become fuel for more political ads. When Rick Warren was asked about that today, he had a great response. He said that everybody, including him, says stupid things they don't mean and wish they could take them back. I believe Rick had one of his own during that same interview. He was pressed on the issue of McCain being in a cone of silence during Obama's portion of the interview. It turns out that McCain didn't arrive to the venue until much of Obama's interview was over. Warren was being pressed about McCain not being in a "cone of silence" when he said he was. I fully believe Warren's answer that he didn't know McCain wasn't there yet, but his answer didn't come off as a sure statement of fact. It left room for doubt about the truth of Warren's comment.

The forum was what it set out to be; an opportunity to bring civility back to the political process. The format used is the only way that could have happened; the same questions posed to each candidate one-on-one and one at a time.

Now that the forum is over, I would love to see the video edited in a way that each of the responses by the candidates can be placed back-to-back. For instance, the video would show Warren asking Obama question #1 and then Obama's answer followed immediately by Warren asking McCain question #1 and then McCain's answer. That would be very fun to see. If anybody finds a video of that, please leave a comment and I will post the link on my blog.