If I had to rate this one, I would say that McCain came out on top at the Saddleback Presidential Forum. His answers were clear and were made more compelling by his allusions to his time in a Vietnamese prison camp. Rick Warren did a lot better than I thought he would in his interviews. In a traditional debate, the candidates get asked different questions by the moderators, and oftentimes one candidate gets asked tougher questions than his opponent. In the Saddleback forum, each candidate got asked the same questions, so the viewer was able to compare apples to apples. I thought Warren’s format was brilliant on this point. One…
-
-
Warren Doesn’t Know the Number of Aborted Babies
During the Presidential Forum, Warren twice said that 40 million babies have been killed since the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. That number is wrong. It is currently over 50 million. Other than that, his questions were excellent (though he should not have accepted Obama’s non-answer to the question about when a baby gets human rights).
-
Live Blogging Saddleback Presidential Forum, pt. 2
Warren asked McCain what his faith means to him. McCain told a moving story from his days in a Vietnamese prison camp. A Vietnamese guard secretly reduced his torture and later drew a cross in the sand to tell him why he did. This story was so compelling that I’m sure it will be played and replayed many times. —————— Warren asked Senator McCain when a baby gets human rights. McCain responded clearly, “At the moment of conception.” —————— What current Supreme Court Justices would McCain not have nominated? His answer: Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, and Stevens.
-
Live Blogging Saddleback Presidential Forum, pt. 1
Rick Warren is hosting a presidential forum with both presidential candidates in attendance. Warren just asked Senator Obama to name a time when he has ever taken a stand that went against his own political party. The only example that Obama could come up with is when he stood against Republicans during the initial invasion of Iraq. This answer confirms the open secret that Obama is a consistent liberal on both domestic and foreign policy. So far, Obama has been able to conceal his liberalism underneath a veneer of charisma. We’ll see if it holds up. —————— Rick Warren just asked the question: “At what point does an unborn baby…
-
Obama’s Barbaric Abortion Record Confirmed
John Fund confirms reports about Obama’s refusal to defend the right to life of babies born alive after failed abortions. Fund writes: ‘Barack Obama’s carefully sculpted image as a moderate may be showing some cracks.
-
Will McCain Pick a Pro-Choice VP?
Senator John McCain says that he will not rule out a pro-choice person as his vice-presidential candidate. The Politico reports: “McCain’s comments Wednesday to the Weekly Standard’s Stephen Hayes that former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge’s pro-abortion rights views wouldn’t necessarily rule him out quickly found their way into the in-boxes of Christian conservatives. For those who have been anxiously awaiting McCain’s pick as a signal of his ideological intentions, there was deep concern that their worst fears about the Arizona senator may be realized.” McCain’s chances are pretty slim as it is. If he were to pick a pro-choice nominee, it would be a disaster for his candidacy. He would…
-
Ben Witherington on Obama Rumors
Dr. Ben Witherington is unhappy about Christians who spread the rumor that Senator Barack Obama is a Muslim. Witherington writes: “It is hard for me to say what bothers me most about these fear and smear tactics by some Christians– whether its simply the untruth of the claim, or the fact that some Christians are prepared to use all sorts of unChristian tactics to prevent Obama from becoming President of the United States.” Well, he’s right. Senator Obama is not a Muslim. But that fact doesn’t mean that he’s fit to President. I myself am happy to be counted among those Christians who would like “to prevent Obama from becoming…
-
Neuhaus Excoriates “An Evangelical Manifesto”
In the most recent issue of First Things, Richard John Neuhaus has sharp criticism for “That Evangelical Manifesto.” Actually, sharp isn’t a strong enough word. The sting of Neuhaus’ essay is not so much his critique of the Manifesto’s substantive proposals, but his analysis of the motivations underlying it. Neuhaus thinks the Manifesto is an attempt by some evangelicals to gain acceptance with the broader culture. In one of the more scathing sections of the article, Neuhaus critiques Os Guinness’ Christianity Today essay “A Gentle Plea for Civility.” Guiness is largely responsible for the wording of the “Manifesto,” and “A Gentle Plea” was a part of the initial roll-out of…
-
What’s the goal? Abortion reduction or elimination?
Should we be trying to reduce abortions or eliminate them? That was the question that was taken up in a recent edition of “The Albert Mohler Program.” On the show, Russell Moore moderates a discussion between Tony Campolo and Robert George. On the one hand, George contends that every person’s life (including the unborn’s) should be protected in law (thus eliminating abortion as a legal option). On the other hand, Campolo argues in favor of public policies that might reduce the number of abortions in America. Campolo has recently been named to the Democratic Party’s platform committee where he hopes that an ‘abortion reduction’ plank might be introduced into the…
-
Bobby Jindal’s Conversion
Don’t miss Robert Costa’s piece in today’s Wall Street Journal, “Rebel With a Cause: Bobby Jindal’s Spiritual Journey.” Bobby Jindal is the governor of my home state of Louisiana. And though he was born into a Hindu family, he converted to Roman Catholicism when he was in high school. Jindal describes his journey to Christian faith as a long process. But one passage from the Journal article describes a breaking point.