Dear Senator Obama,
I watched the Saddleback Forum on CNN last night, because I was curious to see how you and Senator McCain would do in that type of setting. I am an Independent voter with Democratic leanings, so this should have been a cake walk for you. It was not.
You bored me. Your answers did not come across as thoughtful and nuanced. They sounded rehearsed, practiced, and careful. I yawned and lost focus and contemplated changing the channel to see what the Olympic athletes were up to. I didn't hear anything new from you, and, dude, I'm sorry, but your ears looked huge at that angle.
McCain cleaned your clock, Barack. He came out there and seemed so at ease; his confidence drew me in immediately. You got owned, plain and simple. His answers were quick and to the point. His response on the most gut-wrenching decision he ever made (to remain a tortured POW rather than go free ahead of others who were captured before him) made your response to that question (deciding whether or not to cast a Yea or Nay vote on the Iraq war) seem pitiful and minute by comparison. The breadth of his life experience helped him win the day. Suck it up and move on, my friend.
But no, today there is hand-wringing and protest over whether or not McCain had an unfair advantage because he wasn't literally placed within a "cone of silence." Oh, puh-leez. As if having a one-hour heads up is going to make that much of a difference in how either of you were perceived. His camp claims that he did not listen to the broadcast, but even if he did, that's not going to change the fact that he did well and thrived under the same format in which you stumbled.
There's even some "proof" on YouTube that shows McCain answering a question before Rev. Rick Warren fully asked it. Problem is: I watched that forum live, as it unfolded, and I remember full well that Warren mentioned what he was about to ask before actually posing it in the form of a question, so McCain did not "read minds"....he simply LISTENED and was succinct in his response. No matter how the kiss-ups try to edit that clip, it won't change that. Nice try, though.
Please, stop the bellyaching, and start prepping for the debates. Something tells me you're gonna need it.
To read transcripts from the Saddleback Forum, click HERE. The exchange in question happens in Part 5, about halfway down the page.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Saddleback Forum
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4 comments:
Interesting to read your thoughts on the topic of the campaign. I've read many of your responses to my posts but this is a much larger expansion of your thoughts here.
First, I have made no bones about my distrust and displeasure with Barack Obama on my site. The important thing I want to note is that I try to sway no one... I merely express my issues with him and the campaign in general.
I have a HUGE problem with the Democratic party and the direction it decided to go in once they threw my choice for president, Hillary Clinton, under a bus. For everything Bill & Hillary did, they just cast them aside because a slick confidence man came swooping in with a lot of rhetoric and style with no substance to back it up.
Your views on the debate thus far are revealing. I, too, saw McCain's answer to the question and I wanted to point out something else: He stated that in the interest of full disclosure, "I didn't know the war would continue for another three years." Although he shows no regret for the decision he made, he felt it was important to reveal this basic truth: he has indeed thought about a "what if" scenario about that time. What a way to look like a "macho hero" type by omitting this - but he didn't. Sure, it was a small part of his answer - but one that I read a lot into.
Details. This is what has earned - EARNED McCain my vote and what has kept Obama from achieving with me thus far.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Yes, I noticed that "full disclosure" disclaimer, too, and it earned him quite a few points for having the honesty and scruples to own up to that--it was such a "human" thing to say. He needn't have referred to it at all, but he did so anyway.
I don't try to sway people, either; I just feel compelled to "call it as I see it." I don't think it diminishes Barack Obama to point out when McCain has done well in a debate or political forum, and vice versa. I wish the mainstream media could be as forthright. I'm just so tired of the spin, on both sides.
Now we see the real Obama. Only he didn't actually stab anyone in the back during the talk, so it wasn't the FULL real Obama. Yet.
Great post! My thoughts exactly! I know that Senator Obama is known and loved for his oratories but wouldn't he be better off just answering the questions? We know about the Hope, and the Change, and the worship of Michelle and all of that stuff. The people who respond to that are already on board, or are they? Maybe that is the real question. A straight answer would pin him down and make him more responsible for what he says. I think he should spend more time trying to sway people who don't see him as a god, but then, would he lose that mystique with the multitudes?
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