This, for me, was one of the most telling moments of the “debate” last night at Saddleback Church. Reuters described it this way:
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama side-stepped a pointed query about abortion on Saturday by “mega-pastor” Rick Warren during a televised forum.
Asked at what point a baby gets “human rights,” Obama, who strongly supports abortion rights, said: “… whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity … is above my pay grade.”
He went on to reiterate his view that it was important to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who followed Obama onto the stage of the nationally televised event, was more blunt and more emphatic.
He said a baby’s human rights began “at the moment of conception … I have a 25-year pro-life record.”.
Above his pay grade?
For me, this is one of the biggest moments of the campaign. And what’s more surprising is that, at least in early articles, the media is pointing out his dodge. As a presidential candidate you don’t get to say “above my pay grade.” The Buck stops at your desk. Obama’s answer was weak and McCain came off looking quite strong last night. More on this later…
Update:
CBN’s David Brody interviewed Obama immediately after the Saddleback forum and this interesting exchange occured where Obama accused the National Right to Life Committee of lying in no uncertain terms. Here’s the exchange via Red State:
Brody: Real quick, the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. I gotta tell you that’s the one thing I get a lot of emails about and it’s just not just from Evangelicals, it about Catholics, Protestants, main — they’re trying to understand it because there was some literature put out by the National Right to Life Committee. And they’re basically saying they felt like you misrepresented your position on that bill.
Obama: Let me clarify this right now.
Brody: Because it’s getting a lot of play.
Obama: Well and because they have not been telling the truth. And I hate to say that people are lying, but here’s a situation where folks are lying. I have said repeatedly that I would have been completely in, fully in support of the federal bill that everybody supported – which was to say –that you should provide assistance to any infant that was born – even if it was as a consequence of an induced abortion. That was not the bill that was presented at the state level. What that bill also was doing was trying to undermine Roe vs. Wade. By the way, we also had a bill, a law already in place in Illinois that insured life saving treatment was given to infants.
That’s a gutsy move by Obama, especially because he is lying. It is also a very dumb move by Obama because this could start a war of words between the NRLC and Obama. And the exchange might just be enough to make the media interested in the matter, putting this issue on the news -exactly where Obama doesn’t want it to be.
August 17, 2008 at 12:33 pm
So true. I suppose he’ll try to say the same thing to Our Lord’s words, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
He can’t – or won’t – grasp that truth is never up for election.
August 17, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Both candidates came off looking weak for dancing attendance on the guru of a Fisher-Price Play-Church in the first place. Rick Warren is to matters of faith what Michael Moore is to cinema.
— Mack
August 17, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I had the same thought before the forum but I’ve got to tell you I thought it was a heck of a lot better than Wolf Blitzer’s questions.
The questions were pointed and some were even to the heart of the issues.
August 17, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I know a good number of people who can answer that question with specificity, and they have much less pay grade. Makes you wonder how much more is beyond his pay grade, but then I guess he seems to answer all questions anyway without much specificity.
August 17, 2008 at 7:14 pm
What a Maroon. By calling NRLC liars despite the fact that he knows they have the evidence he will make the media actually cover this. Pretty glad he is that dumb.
His above my paygrade comment also shows that he sees this as a slick answer when if anything it shows that he is willing to support abortion even if he says he does not know when a baby has human rights. So no matter how you cut it, it is one of the dumbest answers ever. Especially that a so-called constitutional law scholar thinks the answer is above his paygrade.
August 17, 2008 at 8:14 pm
“Above his pay grade?” Well, if that’s so, he just made the case for his NOT being elected president, although it’s not like many of us needed further convincing about that. We need someone who can step up to the plate and address the tough questions with morally right answers. Lord only knows what else a President faces he’ll be saying that about. America wake up!
August 17, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I didn’t see the program, but it sounds like Mr. Obama’s statements and responses regarding abortion were perfectly appalling and reprehensible, an insult to the dignity and intelligence of the audience and the electorate. I am in complete agreement with Cate, except for one thing: many Catholics and other prolife Christians do still need to be convinced that they need to act to ensure that Barack Obama is not elected. That means supporting John McCain, now, and with all our resources. There is no other way. You said it, Cate: America, wake up! I do not like coming on so strong all the time against another person, namely Barack Obama, but he needs to be defeated for the good of the country. It’s the only way. I don’t personally blame him or despise him. He is just wrong, wrong, wrong about abortion and many other things. And it is because he was a “red-diaper” baby, raised by a far, far-left liberal mother, and the product of a post-Vietnam era Ivy League education, brought up in the Chicago Democratic political machine. He’s bright, but he just doesn’t know anything else. He may be dishonest, or he may believe what he is saying. I don’t know, but he thinks he is right. He is all the more dangerous for it. I don’t love McCain, but he’s got my full support in this situation. Kit.
August 17, 2008 at 10:14 pm
As long as he picks a pro-life Veep I’m with you, Kit. (I beat dead horses in my spare time)
August 18, 2008 at 12:40 am
I have never seen a man so comfortable and so fluent with lying. Those lies just roll off of his tongue and it is if he truly believes what he is saying even though he had just said the exact opposite thing. How many times has he claimed to hold the exact opposite opinions in regard to a matter? One day Israel must remain undivided – the next the opposite view is his stance… One day drilling is ridculous – go inflate your tires – the next, yes drilling is just great he’s all for it. One day he had never heard his mentor of 20 years speak racism and hatred for our country and could never disown him – the next he HAD heard Wright making offensive and incendiary comments and he threw him under the bus… There must be at least a dozen or more examples like these where he completely contradicts himself – he lies like it is perfectly acceptable and warranted even. He is one very scary man. How is anyone supposed to know where this guy truly stands? Oh – yeah – he has lots of advisors, friends, and mentors to look to for those answers. The fact that most of them are communists, terrorists, racists, and America haters really is all that we need to look at to see where Obama’s true loyalties and beliefs lie.
August 18, 2008 at 3:16 am
If Brocko’s answer to that question is “above my pay grade”, then I’m not being paid enough, because I earn a heck of a lot less, and I know the answer.
Apparently, the answer is also above his IQ level. He’s stuck on the lowest rung of the intelligence ladder.
August 18, 2008 at 4:23 am
Well, that video segment (both sides) are now all over Youtube. Over at Catholic Dads (ht!) there is also a nice side by side video. Notice which answer the audience greets with gasps, and which answer the audience greets with a huge applause.
August 18, 2008 at 5:53 am
BHO has proven the presidency is something he’s NOT ready for. The forum only proved that point further…His vision for the USSA (United Socialist states of America) was evident to me during this.
August 18, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I disagree with most of the posts. I think this shows that the man is hyper-intelligent. You have to be really smart to be that stupid. Or, more charitably, when you are really smart, you can find lots of places to hide in your head.
And, as an attorney (which he is)you learn sophistry; which is a multiplier of how many places you can hide. Look at our former commander in chief; what is the meaning of the word “is?”
August 18, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Agreed, anon. Case in point: during the Saddleback Forum, Obama QUOTED “as you do to the least of my bretheren, you have done to me.” (He at least got the book of the Bible right.) So Athos’ question is already answered, in a way I wager few of us care for.
(He used the quote during the “what’s America’s greatest failing” question.)
August 19, 2008 at 3:22 am
Being as opposed to Obama’s pro-choice platform as anyone else on this forum, I can’t help to wonder how McCain could support embryonic stemcell research seeing as how babies have rights at the moment of conception. Perhaps he will elaborate. Nevertheless, he’s the lesser of two evils; not emphatic about McCain but very emphatic on anti-Obamamania!!!