Posted by
Bob Siegel on Monday, August 18, 2008 6:04:14 PM
These days, whenever Democrats lose an
election, they cry ,"Voter fraud." I guess they are so practiced at
this custom; it has become just as easy to whine about fraud during a
debate. Not that the Rick Warren interviews were really a debate, but
since by comparison, John McCain knocked Obama out of the ball bark,
the Democrats are licking their wounds and screaming, "Foul."
I'm sure you've heard the story by now. Rick Warren interviewed each
candidate for an hour. Obama went first and Warren claimed McCain was backstage, unable to hear the debate. In fact, McCain was still
on the way to the event, although he did finally arrive and was
backstage in a soundproof room during the second half of Obama's
interview. McCain emphatically insists that he did not hear
Obama's answers or Warren's questions over the radio. He was part
of a motorcade, surrounded by people. He can account for every minute
of the time. I believe he is telling the truth and I'll explain why I
believe that in just a moment. On the other hand, I do not
believe Rick Warren was telling the truth. Warren must have known that
McCain had not yet arrived. I could more easily believe in the
Easter Bunny than imagine, at an event this important, with a church as
well organized as Saddleback, nobody approached the pastor to say,
"Ah...McCain isn't here." Warren must have known! He must
have! So when he claimed that John McCain was backstage in the
"cone of silence" he simply was not telling the truth. I suppose, in
his mind, he may have rationalized it somehow. He may have figured,
"McCain is supposed to
be back stage. That was the situation we set up. It's not my fault if
he's tardy and he'll be here at any time anyway. Besides, I don't think
he's listening from his car, so even his car can technically be called
"a cone of silence."
There are always ways to rationalize and I would never indict Rick
Warren's lifetime record for one moment of bad decision. He was
probably just afraid that Obama would back out in the face of a changed
scenario, even though Obama is supposed to like change. Still, in
hindsight, he could have spared us all a lot of media chatter by simply
coming clean.
Before I go on, let me compartmentalize and make my own feelings clear. It matters very little to me whether McCain was backstage or
still in his limousine, I simply do not care. Neither do I think it
made a hill of beans of difference. I do care when people feel they
have to lie, so maybe there is reason to doubt the integrity of Rick
Warren (on this one particular issue) but it would be a big mistake if
that distracted us from the real news: This may have been the first
time Conservatives actually got excited about their candidate! McCain's
answers were quick, decisive, detailed and meaty. They sounded like
they came from a man who is very experienced, one who actually knows
what he's talking about! Compared to Obama? Well, there was no comparison.
It was a joke. Even his own people know this, which is why they have to
figure out a way to call McCain a cheater. Nobody ever accuses you of
cheating at a game you just lost.
Omama's answers were more like, "Well, on the one hand, but then on the
other hand. Ah...This reminds me of a story about my grandmother."
Back to McCain's insistence that he did not hear the questions and
answers in advance. I believe him, because I seriously doubt he felt he
needed to know anything in advance. Was there any speculation that a
pastor would ask about gay marriage or abortion? Was there any doubt
that the subject of war or evil would come up? And did he need to
know Obama's answers ahead of time? Didn't he already know?
Isn't he familiar with the tired liberal mantras? Aren't we
all? I said in my blog last week, that during the debates, any
question about abortion thrown Obama's direction, would be met with,
"For me personally, abortion is wrong. But we still must protect a
woman's right to choose." None of this is a surprise. The script
could have been written before the debate.
Lying is lying and Warren should not have lied. But as for what he lied
about? This is much ado about nothing. Nevertheless, Rick, next
time the cone of silence doesn't work, just say, "Sorry about that,
Chief!"
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