SC6 Reviews the Obama-McCain Debate (Sort Of) at Saddleback Church..

The two presidential candidates had their first and only debate before the conventions last night at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in California. It wasn't actually a debate. Warren spent an hour with both candidates separately, and asked them both the same questions. Here's our analysis of the debate...

The Format

I liked the format alot, especially for a first debate. Warren did a great job as a moderator, and he kept it positive, while still not allowing any politicking by McCain and Obama. While it didn't leave room for any real deeper questions into the issues, it does help the total political process by making both Obama and McCain look like decent people, and not the bad guys the opposing parties would lead you to think. Granted, being a relatively strict church, there was a natural advantage for McCain based solely on the topics, although they were very considerate to Obama as well.

Obama

Honestly, my very first thought was how gray Obama's hair was getting. At the current rate of graying, by November , Obama will look like Nelson Mandela.... Will he be as gray as McCain? I doubt it..

As far as the questioning, Obama did okay - not great, but okay. The format did assist him in that Warren didn't go in depth into issues, which can expose Obama as a big government guy. No doubt is populist message on taxing wealthier Americans will go over well with voters. Obama gave very general answers, but was a bit evasive on a few issues, particularly Abortion. I watched it with two Obama supporters, though not solid supporters, and one of them said "he's not answering the question". Still, the format did make Obama seem like a decent man, and maybe that was Warren's aim all along - to make them both look good, while revealing the differences in their platform.

McCain

Initially, McCain looked a bit nervous, which usually causes him to tell jokes. He did this, but it seemed to relax him a bit. His answers were sharper and shorter, and he applied those questions to issues. He wasn't afraid to say he's Pro-Life, that he didn't like some Supreme Court justices nominated by Republicans, and he was a bit more forthcoming. Telling America that you regret your first divorce in front of your second wife takes guts.

Granted, like a lot of older guys, McCain did have an anecdote for everything, and they are starting to be repeated a bit. In fact, I called McCain's "Cross in the Sand" story from Vietnam within 2 seconds. I do the same thing with Brady Bunch episodes..... That aside , he overcame alot of the detractions, and showed some toughness and more focus on the issues than voters might have thought he had.

The Verdict

Last night's winner? Rick Warren. Seriously, like many pastors, he showed moderators another way to do their job - maybe a better way. Both McCain and Obama paid homage to Warren, and no doubt Saddleback's membership and sales of "The Purpose Drive Life" will skyrocket.

As for the candidates, i'll give an edge to McCain, partially based on his performance, and partially because he had a homefield advantage. Face it, if you're Pro-Life and you can't win at a church, you might want to pack it in. It wasn't a knockout - Obama did fine, and I doubt it will cost him much at the polls. The most important part was that we got through 2 hours without listening to these guys attack each other on every small detail....

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