Posted on 08/18/2008 5:34:25 AM PDT by kellynla
Barack Obama bumped into something hard on Saturday night. The nuanced naif of Illinois preceded -- in Paris Hilton’s wonderful snark -- the “wrinkly white-haired dude” in Pastor Rick Warren’s civility summit and came up very short.
You can judge how well McCain did by the minimalist coverage in the media. The highlights reported here were virtually ignored in the Sunday papers.
McCain has never been better. His self deprecation, his humor, and his life story turned the back-to-back interviews into a conclusive demonstration that he is ready for the presidency and Obama isn’t.
McCain was energized, comfortable and quietly eloquent in explaining why his life proves the most important of qualities in a president: character and core beliefs. Obama -- consistently charming and shallow -- demonstrated neither of those qualities.
John McCain was a prisoner of the North Vietnamese for more than five years. Researching an article four years ago on John Kerry’s antiwar activities during many of those same years, I interviewed more than a half-dozen of McCain’s fellow POWs. Each of them, in much the same words, said “I wouldn’t be alive today but for the personal courage of John McCain.”
That courage was explained, calmly, by McCain when Warren asked him to describe the most difficult “gut-wrenching” decision in his life.
McCain answered, “It was long ago and far away in a prison camp in North Vietnam. My father was a high ranking admiral. The Vietnamese came and said that I could leave prison early. And we had a code of conduct that said you only leave by order of capture.
(Excerpt) Read more at humanevents.com ...
just type in saddleback.
All I have is the transcript link:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/17/se.01.html
Bad choice of metaphor.
Speaking as a DH supporter while he was still running, McCain’s stock went up greatly in my eyes on Saturday.
Now to see his VP choice...
(1) The articles posted on the Drudge Report confirm that Matt is in the tank for Obama. Obama got killed in this debate, but you can't figure that out from Drudge.
(2) The MSM will really step up the coverage of hurricane Fay to bury this event as "old news".
(3) Obama handed the RNC and McCain a mother load of quotes and talking points for the campaign. Included in those points is evidence of why Obama refuses to debate "anywhere, anytime".
(4) Finally, it will very interesting to see how this debate impacts the DNC convention in Denver. Obama may be dealing with criticism from both inside and outside the Democrat Party.
Obama is like nails on a chalkborad. I didn’t feel sleepy but was highly irritated. For all his education, the man can’t string 2 words together in a concise manner.
Obama has two chances of winning...slim & none and “Slim” just left the building...heck, even the Clintonistas aren’t gonna vote for Obama...it ruins Clinton’s plan to run in 2012 if Obama should happen to get elected.
Sorry,it was early.
I still despise “ACE”, and he is still going to get my vote as the lesser of the evils.
I agree with your assessment that Matt Drudge seems to be downplaying Obama’s abyssmal performance at Saddleback.
I have just watched the full Saddleback videos.....Obama sounded like a politician, McCain sounded presidential.....
I have to say, I was very impressed with McCain.
“I have just watched the full Saddleback videos”
gotta a link?
Thank you!
I know of what you speak my FRiend. Please watch the linked video, I think you will be surprised.....I was.
These observations & criticisms are not lost on senior Dems, since they in all likelihood hold the same opinions. It's obvious to anyone, partisan pro or con, that BHO simply is not ready (and may never be).
Their issue is whether or not to nominate a woman who could be reasonably construed as qualified, and could possibly beat McC vs literally torching both the Dem party and US inner-cities.
“Time for the half dozen McCain bashers here to apologize....”
I got to admit, I was right here on FR posting a few months ago when my man Fred dropped out that I would never, could never vote for McCain. And saying a “McCain for President yard sign would never cast its shadow on my front lawn”. Well after to getting to know “the adversary” Obama, and I mean really studying the man, I knew I was going to have to go back on those words. Anything to keep Obama out of the Whitehouse.
But McCain is more and more impressing me each day, since his quick and decisive response to Russia’s invasion of Georgia, to him smashing Obama Friday night. He was polished, well versed, Presidential, and he connected with the Christian Right even more than I think Bush could. I still have my disagreements with him, and maybe with a right choice of VP, he can soften the blow of having to vote for someone who believes in man made Global Warming and a high walls-but wide gate border policy.
“Obama is like nails on a chalkborad. I didn’t feel sleepy but was highly irritated. For all his education, the man can’t string 2 words together in a concise manner.”
What are the lyrics to that song? Something like :
“I don’t want something complicated, baby/ Just give me something simple like the truth”
Let’s compare “Uh”bama with McCain the other night:
A. (by Obama) WELL, I THINK THAT WHETHER YOU ARE LOOKING AT IT FROM A THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OR A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, ANSWERING THAT QUESTION WITH SPECIFICITY, YOU KNOW, IS ABOVE MY PAY GRADE. BUT LET ME JUST SPEAK
MORE GENERALLY ABOUT THE ISSUE OF ABORTION BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY THE COUNTRY WRESTLES WITH. ONE THING THAT I’M ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED OF IS THERE IS A MORAL AND ETHICAL CONTENT TO THIS ISSUE. SO I THINK THAT ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO DENY THE MORAL DIFFICULTIES AND GRAVITY OF THE ABORTION ISSUE I THINK IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION. SO THAT WOULD BE POINT NUMBER ONE.
BUT POINT NUMBER TWO, I AM PRO-CHOICE. I BELIEVE IN ROE V. WADE AND COME TO THAT CONCLUSION NOT BECAUSE I’M PRO ABORTION, BUT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY I DON’T THINK WOMEN MAKE THESE DECISIONS CASUALLY. THEY WRESTLE WITH THESE THINGS IN PROFOUND WAYS. IN CONSULTATION WITH THEIR PASTORS OR SPOUSES OR THEIR DOCTORS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. AND SO FOR ME, THE GOAL RIGHT NOW SHOULD BE — AND THIS IS WHERE I THINK WE CAN FIND COMMON GROUND AND BY THE WAY I HAVE NOW INSERTED THIS INTO THE DEMOCRAT PARTY PLATFORM IS HOW DO WE REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS BECAUSE THE FACT IS THAT ALTHOUGH WE’VE HAD A PRESIDENT WHO IS OPPOSED TO ABORTIONS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, ABORTIONS HAVE NOT GONE DOWN.
Followup Q (to Oba,a): HAVE YOU EVER VOTED TO LIMIT OR REDUCE ABORTIONS?
A (by Obama): I AM IN FAVOR, FOR EXAMPLE, OF LIMITS ON LATE TERM ABORTIONS IF THERE IS AN EXCEPTION FOR THE MOTHER’S HEALTH. NOW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THOSE WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE PRO LIFE, I THINK THEY WOULD CONSIDER THAT INADEQUATE. AND I RESPECT THEIR VIEWS. I MEAN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I’VE ALWAYS SAID IS THAT ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION, THEN — AND YOU ARE CONSISTENT IN THAT BELIEF, THEN I CAN’T ARGUE WITH YOU ON THAT BECAUSE THAT IS A CORE ISSUE OF FAITH FOR YOU. WHAT I CAN DO IS SAY ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UNWANTED PREGNANCIES SO THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE REDUCING THE SENSE THAT WOMEN ARE SEEKING OUT ABORTIONS, AND AS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I’VE TALKED ABOUT IS HOW DO WE PROVIDE THE RESOURCES THAT ALLOW WOMEN TO
MAKE THE CHOICE TO KEEP A CHILD. YOU KNOW, HAVE WE GIVEN THEM THE HEALTH CARE THAT THEY NEED. HAVE WE GIVEN THEM THE SUPPORT SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. HAVE WE GIVEN THEM THE OPTIONS OF ADOPTION THAT ARE NECESSARY. THAT I THINK CAN MAKE A GENUINE DIFFERENCE.
Q (to McCain) : ALL RIGHT. LET’S GO INTO THE TOUGH ONES. THAT WAS JUST A GIMMIE. LET’S DEAL WITH ABORTION. I, AS A PASTOR, HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS ALL THE TIME, EVERY DIFFERENT ANGLE, EVERY DIFFERENT PAIN, ALL THE DECISIONS AND ALL OF THAT. 40 MILLION ABORTIONS SINCE ROE V WADE. SOME PEOPLE WHO — PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION WOULD SAY THAT’S A HOLOCAUST FOR MANY PEOPLE. AT WHAT POINT IS A BABY ENTITLED TO HUMAN RIGHTS?
A (by McCain) : AT THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION. I HAVE A 25-YEAR PRO LIFE RECORD IN THE CONGRESS, IN THE SENATE. AND AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I WILL BE A PRO LIFE PRESIDENT AND THIS PRESIDENCY WILL HAVE PRO LIFE POLICIES. THAT’S MY COMMITMENT, THAT’S MY COMMITMENT TO YOU.
Q (by moderator): OKAY. WE DON’T HAVE TO GO LONGER ON THAT ONE.
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