I was a bit skeptical about Rick Warren’s planned “Shoot-out at Saddleback” between Barack Obama and John McCain. I was even more surprised when Senator Obama agreed to show up. One on one discourses, as is generally acknowledged, are not his strong suit. Couple that with John McCain’s generally poor public performance since he clinched the nomination along with a dose of Pastor Warren’s religion, I had to debate myself whether I would bother to watch it. My attention span isn’t that long, and there are always highlights at eleven…with commentary!!! I was wrong. It was terrific.America owes a debt of gratitude to Saddleback Church and Pastor Warren for providing one of the most innovative and informative political discussions I have seen in a long, long time. Both candidates did well. They highlighted their strengths while displaying their weaknesses. The side debate as to who knew the questions in advance is ridiculous. Both candidates showed hesitancy in answering some of Warren’s tough questions. Can you answer what has been your greatest moral failure? I almost felt sorry for these guys.
What it did show was two different approaches to issues, and it is not conservative vs. liberal. We all know who’s who on that scale. It is practical versus cerebral. This is the issue that is driving this campaign. It is John McCain’s greatest strength and Barack Obama’s greatest weakness.
Barack Obama went first and did a fine job. His approach was measured and thoughtful. His analysis of issues was based on internal philosophical intellectualism. You could actually see his Harvard Law education at work as he carefully thought the question or issue through. I am a lawyer, and he absolutely reflected the Socratic method of education that is used in our country’s law schools. He is Bill Clinton on steroids in determining what the definition of “is” is.
In a courtroom or debate, where the political fallout into the general public is minimal, this works. Here is the problem Obama is having: in politics, it doesn’t. His approach to issues often times may reach correct conclusions on some intellectual and esoteric level, but in real life may fly in the face of common sense and reality. The result is hesitation in reaction to fast moving events and implementation of policies that may turn out to be politically unpopular. This has already been seen in Obama’s response to the Jeremiah Wright issue and his tepid response to the Russian invasion of Georgia. This is why people are so passionate about the Supreme Court. Forced school bussing is an example of a conclusion reached by this kind of approach to issues.
McCain went second, and surprised many people by showing he is actually still alive. He also did a fine job. His background is military which is reflected in his no-nonsense approach to what he believes. His conclusions are rooted in a core set of beliefs. His life experience is the framework in which he operates. Although there is a place for some intellectual debate, you get 10 minutes then let’s get on with it. Any prolonged debate for him would be centered on implementation of his decisions rather than the decisions themselves.
If you think that this kind of analysis of the two candidates is a waste of time, look at the commentary relating to Bill Clinton’s chance to kill Osama bin Laden during Clinton’s presidency, and his penchant for letting lawyers decide what should happen. By the time you finish the legal debate, the opportunity is gone, or the danger has progressed so far you are in trouble.
The Saddleback debate brought these distinctions to the forefront. Barack Obama is a fine man. I would love to sit and talk to him or debate him or be in court with him. He would make a great domestic or foreign policy adviser. But his life experiences aren’t rooted in the reality of a dangerous world. He has yet to learn that there are times when you have to act and forget the debate in the United Nations. Hesitancy for intellectual analysis can cost lives.
Can he learn it? Maybe. But I am not willing to gamble with on the job training. He will be tested by the bad guys during the first year of his presidency. They will be betting that his intellectual debates will give them free rein. Jimmy Carter learned that the hard way.
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