The Presidential Forum at Saddleback Church was a great opportunity to observe the differences between Barack Obama and John McCain. There were several clear differences that we all know about: Roe v Wade, the war in Iraq, the Supreme Court judges to name a few.
But what was even more interesting was what it revealed about their character, confidence and intelligence. On these points, they were very different.
When McCain answered questions, he was a bit uncomfortable and fearful of each coming question stating “I hope they get easier,” and later, “They don’t get any easier!” When he was asked basic questions about issues in his platform, his answers were quick, short and delivered with a punch designed to demonstrate his toughness. For McCain, this forum was an opportunity to promote his image. But when McCain’s questions were more philosophical, less policy oriented, he would lose his footing. He floundered, until the moment when he figured out a way to apply old war stories, or recycled stump speeches “we need to drill here and we need to drill now!” On the question of naming the three people he most admired, his face lit up and said General Petraeus, giving himself an opening to continue his usual rhetoric of how we won the war in Iraq, etc.
Overall, McCain did a good job reasserting his image and re-stating his policies, but he did not seem natural. What I learned about McCain his that he lacks confidence and seems afraid that he might reveal something about his soul. He would use jokes to buy time and cover his inadequacies. He fell back on tried and true recycled answers that were sophomoric and showed no depth and revealed nothing new.
Obama, on the other hand, responded to all questions thoughtfully, giving respect to Rev. Warren by answering his questions in the true spirit for which they were asked. Obama saw this as an opportunity for Americans to get to know him and he seised it. By being more natural, relaxed and confident and by reaching into his soul for his answers, the audience got a broader understanding of Barack Obama. He thought seriously about the questions and answered from his soul. He was not only unafraid of what he might reveal about his deepest thoughts, he made every attempt to do just that.
Filed under: Politics Tagged: | forum, mcain, McCain, Obama, presidential, rick, saddleback, warren
