| THE US presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain appeared together for the first time since they were nominated, when they were interviewed at a California mega-church, writes Ed Beavan.
The two candidates were asked a set of identical questions by the Revd Rick Warren, described as “America’s most influential pastor”, at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.
Mr Warren asked both candidates for their thoughts on the nature of evil, abortion, and marriage, and grilled them about their home and foreign policies, as they sought to stress their ethical credentials.
Senator Obama seemed more thoughtful and cautious in his responses, while Senator McCain gave short, abrupt replies, answering more questions than his Democratic rival.
When asked whether evil exists, and whether people should negotiate, contain, or defeat it, Senator Obama said he agreed that it did exist, saying: “I think it has to be confronted.”
When Mr Warren asked Senator McCain the same question an hour later, the Republican candidate replied pithily: “Defeat it.”
On the subject of abortion, Senator Obama avoided a direct response to the question when does a baby acquires human rights. “I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological position or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade.”
In contrast, Senator McCain received a round of applause when he declared a baby gets human rights “at the moment of conception”. “As president, I will be a pro-life president, and this presidency will have pro-life policies,” he declared.
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