Saddleback Forum

Yep, I am. SoWalling during commercials. Obama is doing well so far.

This guy is soo good at this. 🙂 I like the Supreme Court answer. Perfect.

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Thanks!

I just caught the end. I guess I'll be able to see it all at some point later?

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This guy is soo good at this. 🙂 I like the Supreme Court answer. Perfect.

Looks like McCain is pretty good at this too!

John McCain rocks!

CNN is doing very good damage control. Thier close in interview is working well. $10 says they'll not be interview McCain.

I loved this forum and expecially the format which provided voters a great opportunity to compare and contrast Senator Obama and Senator McCain. I applaud both candidates for their willingness to participate and wish that we could see more events like this one. I feel that it was especially beneficial for the undecided swing voters who will decide this election.

I really love the mixing of politics and religion. Works well in Iran.

I really love the mixing of politics and religion. Works well in Iran.

:lolabove: ziiiiing!

This guy is soo good at this. 🙂 I like the Supreme Court answer. Perfect.

Yea, I loved Obama's slam on Thomas. He is the perfect person to comment on someone's inexperience and lack of credentials for a job.:floor::funn::rolling::rofl::lol:

I am really wondering if the SoWal political forum watched any of this well put together approach to questions Americans on both sides of the aisle have on their minds. It was a good performance by both candidates. I think it is obvious to anyone who watched the whole forum that McCain had the most succinct and precise answers to the questions asked of both candidates. I feel this is so, because for one thing, the silence from the left, usually present on this board, has been deafening. Cat got your tongue?

I am really wondering if the SoWal political forum watched any of this well put together approach to questions Americans on both sides of the aisle have on their minds. It was a good performance by both candidates. I think it is obvious to anyone who watched the whole forum that McCain had the most succinct and precise answers to the questions asked of both candidates. I feel this is so, because for one thing, the silence from the left, usually present on this board, has been deafening. Cat got your tongue?

Couldn't agree more!!! I thought that the questions were outstanding and McCains answers made me proud to support him. :clap::clap:

I really love the mixing of politics and religion. Works well in Iran.

ZING!!!! Bingo. Absolutely freightening. Now they are BOTH scaring me!!!

I am really wondering if the SoWal political forum watched any of this well put together approach to questions Americans on both sides of the aisle have on their minds. It was a good performance by both candidates. I think it is obvious to anyone who watched the whole forum that McCain had the most succinct and precise answers to the questions asked of both candidates. I feel this is so, because for one thing, the silence from the left, usually present on this board, has been deafening. Cat got your tongue?

I am really wondering if the SoWal political forum watched any of this well put together approach to questions Americans on both sides of the aisle have on their minds. It was a good performance by both candidates. I think it is obvious to anyone who watched the whole forum that McCain had the most succinct and precise answers to the questions asked of both candidates. I feel this is so, because for one thing, the silence from the left, usually present on this board, has been deafening. Cat got your tongue?

Succinct answers woo concrete thinkers. Prolonged answers appeal to those who think abstractly. The point of the exercise was for McCain to solidify the concrete thinkers' vote. I'm pretty sure Obama wanted people to see him answering questions about religion without invoking Allah's name. What else is there to discuss?

I really love the mixing of politics and religion. Works well in Iran.

Did you watch the event? The vast majority of the content was secular and about the issues of the day.:clap: The format was the best I have seen. (although I am not quite old enough to remember the Lincoln-Douglas debates):funn: Both men had ample time to fully answer the same questions in a very civil forum. The fact that it was held in a church was downplayed and had little impact on the event. I wish that there were more such events as I learned alot about both men and their views on the future of this country.:clap:

Random Thoughts

I haven't seen the event in its entirety (I hope CNN will reair it asap). But without having seen it I want to share two random items-

1) The political blogs are being overrun by rumors that McCain wasn't in a "Cone of Silence" during Obama's Q&A (Obama went first) but rather that McCain was in a limo on his way. So folks are saying that he was so concise because he already heard the questions and his opponent's answers...

Interesting...

EDIT: This is not my opinion- I don't have one yet and am only reporting what others are saying on political blogs...

2) Irrespective of how good or bad the forum was (I haven't seen it all yet)-
I have a real problem with a presidential debate (or whatever they call it) being conducted by or in a/the Evangelical Church...

I would say the same thing if it was hosted by Catholics, Jews, Christian Scientists, Muslims, INSERT RELIGION HERE, etc.

It is scary to me that this occurred and reminds me of how powerful and pervasive churches are...

Love Bob's earlier Iran comment...

2 cents,
G

This was mentioned previously, but I thought I heard this while watching the replay last night. Check out Obama's almost slip at the 38 second mark of this youtube clip. He almost slammed Clarence Thomas for his lack of "ex!" Wow that was close. No doubt he did not want to get into a discussion about "experience."


Heard a guy on the radio perfectly sum up my thoughts today. Based on their answers, John McCain has lived an amazing, fascinating life with incredible experiences as compared to Obama's. I'm not saying his life has been better. The question that seperated these two was the "most gut-wrenching decision you've ever had to make." EVER! Obama said his was the opposition to the Iraq war. He was in the Illinois Senate when the Iraq war vote came up. So he had no "gut wrenching decision" to make anyway (that anyone cared about at the time). Compare that answer to McCain's decision to stay in the P.O.W. camp. One of those responses was slightly more gut wrenching than the other.

I haven't seen the event in its entirety (I hope CNN will reair it asap). But without having seen it I want to share two random items-

1) The political blogs are being overrun by rumors that McCain wasn't in a "Cone of Silence" during Obama's Q&A (Obama went first) but rather that McCain was in a limo on his way. So folks are saying that he was so concise because he already heard the questions and his opponent's answers...

Interesting...

EDIT: This is not my opinion- I don't have one yet and am only reporting what others are saying on political blogs...

2) Irrespective of how good or bad the forum was (I haven't seen it all yet)-
I have a real problem with a presidential debate (or whatever they call it) being conducted by or in a/the Evangelical Church...

I would say the same thing if it was hosted by Catholics, Jews, Christian Scientists, Muslims, INSERT RELIGION HERE, etc.

It is scary to me that this occurred and reminds me of how powerful and pervasive churches are...

Love Bob's earlier Iran comment...

2 cents,
G

I think there can be a fine line beween being concise and being incomplete. This forum was at least advertised as being a spiritual forum which to me means spiritual/philosophical. It was intended to show the way the candidates think and address the bigger less concrete issues. I have no problem with McCain wanting to rattle off quick decisive answers, but I can't fault Obama for really listening to some of the questions carefully and giving thoughtful answers. The one that stands out was the question about evil. "Does evil exist and if it does, do we ignore it, do we negotiate with it, do we contain it or do we defeat it?" It's a two part question and Obama addressed the first part "Evil does exist. I mean we see evil all the time.... then said we should confront it. He then said we can never erase evil from the world which is honest and true.

Mccain did not answer the two part question as asked. He did not acknowledge the first part of the question by saying evil does exist. He merely said "defeat it. This is a strong answer that will appeal to a lot of people but is it realistic and honest? I say no. Furthermore he got almost frighteningly agitated in talking about his resolve to catch OBL. I think he may be consumed by his personal failure in Vietnam (he was no flying ace) and the trauma he endured in captivity. For McCain "evil" is an excuse to re-fight Vietnam again and again and again. Do we really need 100 years of flag draped coffins? He uses the expression "my friends" a lot, but I say with friends like him, who needs enemies? If he is elected it will become the new "F" word.