By accident, I ended up watching the two presidential candidates at the Saddleback Forum hosted by Pastor Rick Warren.  I am not sure I even knew this was happening, but we stumbled across it while flipping channels over at my mother-in-law's house right as it was beginning.  I am really glad we watched it; I found the answers given by the two candidates to be very enlightening.  I have heard criticism that there has been way too much talk about religious beliefs and values and not enough specific policies.  Well, I would like to hear more specifics, but I also think the religious and philisophical underpinings of a candiadate's ideas are really really important to know too.

My general, overall impression was that McCain did a slightly better job than Obama.  Obama seemed nervous; he was too serious, too careful, too guarded.  I got the impression that his answers were very calculated for the audience.  McCain on the other hand seemed relaxed, he seemed confident, like he knew his own mind without hesitation.  They both did a good job though.  And honestly, I liked the way both of them answered many of the questions.  They both said things which made me applaud in agreement, and they both said things which made me shake my head in dismay. 

Interestingly, I much much MUCH preferred Obama's answer to the question regarding how we should face the problem of evil in the world over McCain's answer.  I can't remember what he said exactly, but it was basically that evil must be confronted and fought against, but that we have to do so with humility and with the realization that only God will ultimately be able to get rid of evil.  Well, shucks, that is a freaking awesome answer! McCain instead answered bellicosely that we must defeat evil, and started on a diatribe about how he would follow Osma Bin Laden to the gates of hell. First of all, to think that we can defeat evil is ridiculous, naive and utopian stupidity. And while I appreciate the passion with which he wants to bring terrorists to justice, it also bothered me how quickly in McCain's mind a general concept like evil is equated with radical Islam.

As for the abortion issue, Obama's answer to the question of at what point a baby gets protected human rights was just cowardly.   Above your pay grade?  You want to be President of the United States, and its too above your head to decide who the citizens you are responsible for protecting are???  No, that was one of the most ridiculous cop-out answers of all time.  Just be a man and say you think human rights begin after the baby is born, and only if wanted by the mother. Because considering your voting record, that must be what you think, or else you have no integrity.  Also, if unborn babies are not owed human rights and protection, then why is abortion such a serious moral issue?  Why should we bother trying to reduce the number of abortions if they are a-ok?  I have no patience for that kind of double-talk.

Unfortunately, my conscience won't let me vote for someone that fiercely pro-choice.  And yeah, I have been criticized for being a one issue voter.  But I like the way Rick Warren put it in an interview he gave to Beliefnet shortly after the Saddleback Forum:

For many evangelicals, of course, if they believe that life begins at conception, that's a deal breaker for a lot of people. If they think that life begins at conception, then that means that there are 40 million Americans who are not here [because they were aborted] that could have voted. They would call that a holocaust and for them it would like if I'm Jewish and a Holocaust denier is running for office. I don't care how right he is on everything else, it's a deal breaker for me.

Unfortunate as it may be, that is exactly how I feel.

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