They saddled-up at Saddleback Church

A LOT HAS TO BE MADE of last Saturday's Q&A forum at Saddleback Church down in southern California—with McCain and Obama—I had a feeling that McCain would come away the winner. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback, moderated the forum.

It really comes down to something fundamental: Can a candidate give straight-up answers to questions about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. America is tired of big speeches at big stadiums with teleprompters.

With that benchmark McCain scored, Obama did not.

McCain the former Naval aviator and prisoner-of-war was far more informed. When asked which leaders he would consult as president, he first mentioned General David Petraeus, the architect of the very successful American surge in Iraq. Contrast Obama who would seek out his grandmother and his wife Michelle for advice.With his answer McCain definitely signals he is ready to be commander-in-chief. McCain is thinking of America in time of war. We Christians must understand that the long-term terror war that America is engaged in must continually be in the thought life of our next president. If America fails in this, nothing else really matters.

Then regarding spiritual matters Pas. Warren asked, "At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?" McCain answered: At the moment of conception. Obama put it this way:

Whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is, you know, above my pay grade.

When Mrs. O and I are ghostwriting, we are very, very careful with metaphors. That was a spectacularly clumsy metaphor and it will haunt Obama.

There isn't a job on the planet above the pay grade of President of the United States. A president is not supposed to be a theologian or a scientist — but you cannot be unsure about the most defining moral issue in America today. Obama was very unsure of this and botched his answer, but it helps me better understand his moral world-view. If I had to guess I don't believe that Obama will make any new inroads with evangelicals. Anyone could see by all the answers given Saturday night that McCain beat Obama easily on substance, but Obama even lost on style, his "strong suit," probably because no teleprompters were allowed. Maybe Obama will increase his style quotient later during the debates, but he's certainly gotta get up to speed on the issues: At Saddleback he repeated the false claim that abortions haven't declined under President Bush; —wait,

G.W. Bush? the culture-of-life President Bush? abortions haven't declined? I wondered why Rick Warren didn't call him on this. Perhaps he doesn't know either. *Sigh*

Obama's outreach to evangelical voters was obviously sincere, but he doesn't actually agree with us on much.

Of course, the one way that McCain can blow his Saturday performance is if he picks a pro-abortion VP candidate.

I think the lowest point at Saddleback was Obama's insulting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. There's really nothing bold about attacking Clarence Thomas, the Left has virtually made a hobby out of it for the last 20 years since his hard-won nomination. Obama said that when he was nominated, the black Supreme Court nominee for the United States Supreme Court didn't have enough experience, and wasn't smart enough to serve on the Court. The irony was incredible...

After all was said and done one of these two candidates must have left Saddleback Church, saddle-sore.