Update: Full transcript
Rick Warren covered a lot of ground within an hour (for each candidate) and asked a lot of good questions. Aside from opposite views on nearly every issue, the main difference I saw between Obama and McCain is Obama thinks much more broadly. He's a complex thinker, considering the gray areas of issues.
McCain is much more black and white. He's a reactionary. He doesn't think in shades and in that regard, is a lot like Bush.
One notable comment from Obama was that George Bush is anti abortion but that hasn't reduced the number of abortions. Obama was making a case for a more practical way to reduce abortions, while maintaining the right to choose. That approach, I'm afraid, is lost on evangelicals who would rather be right and righteous than solve the problem.
Obama also seemed more honest, authentic is a good word, in his answers while McCain relied on anecdotes, the same ones we've heard over and over, and bits from his town halls.
McCain, with a stacked republican audience, received constant applause. He cracked a lot of jokes and talked about Vietnam when answering the religious questions.
Obama received a warm welcome and some applause here and there but it was a McCain crowd.
McCain couldn't define rich. He doesn't want to tax anyone, he said. This is a fundamental difference between the two candidates. McCain doesn't understand reality and is much more aligned with the rich (I guess that's just a republican thing), whereas Obama aligns himself with the middle class and the poor. He'd help them first before he'd help the rich. McCain says he wouldn't boost taxes but didn't say how he would pay for anything, so it was a good sound bite.
McCain managed to slam Russia and praise Georgia. He talked about Georgia being one of the earliest Christian nations? And this means??
McCain began to get rattled and riled up to fight the way he does.
Obama never seemed rattled, calm and collected as always. McCain even ended with his tagline: country first. I'll post the video when it's up.
Cnn's take
MSNBCCBS
HuffPo
NYT
APWaPo
On rich
On abortion
three people
McCain
