Presidential
contenders Barack Obama and John McCain differed on abortion
Saturday, with McCain saying a baby's human rights begin "at
conception," while Obama restated his support for legalized
abortion.
Appearing on the
same stage for the first time in months, although they
overlapped only briefly, the two men shared their views on a
range of moral, foreign and domestic issues.
Obama said he
would limit abortions in the late stages of pregnancy if
there are exceptions for the mother's health. He said he
knew that people who consider themselves pro-life will
find his stance "inadequate."
He said the
government should do more to prevent unwanted pregnancies
and to help women who give birth, such as provide
needed resources to the poor, as well as better
adoption services.
McCain expressed
his anti-abortion stand simply and quickly, saying human
rights begin the instant that a human egg is fertilized.
McCain, who adopted a daughter from Bangladesh, also
called for making adoption easier.
Their comments
came at a two-hour forum on faith hosted by the minister
Rick Warren at his megachurch in Orange County, Calif. Obama
joined Warren for the first hour, and Obama for the
second. The two men briefly shook hands and hugged
each other during the switch.
Warren asked both
men the same questions. McCain said he did not see or
hear Obama's session, which might have given him an
advantage.
Obama said
America's greatest moral failure is its insufficient help to
the disadvantaged. He noted that the Bible quotes Jesus as
saying "whatever you do for the least of my brothers,
you do for me." He said the maxim should apply to
victims of poverty, sexism and racism.
McCain said the
nation's greatest moral shortcoming is its failure to
"devote ourselves to causes greater than our
self-interests."
After the
September 2001 terrorist attacks, McCain said, there should
have been a national push for joining the Peace Corps and
other volunteer organizations. His comment seemed an
indirect criticism of President Bush, who had urged
tax cuts and more shopping to stimulate the economy at
the time.
He also said he
would pursue Osama bin Laden "to the gates of Hell,"
another goal that might be seen as a swipe at Bush's
administration.
Both men said
marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Obama added
that he supports civil unions for gay partners, giving them
rights such as hospital visits with one another.
In several cases,
Obama gave a Christian interpretation to his generally
liberal political views. He showed some familiarity with the
Scripture, and said Jesus died for his sins.
McCain tended to
give shorter, less complex answers. On domestic matters,
he restated his call to "drill now" in U.S. lands and waters
for oil and natural gas.
When Warren asked
Obama to define the word "rich," the Illinois senator
teased him about the mammoth sales of his book, "The Purpose
Driven Life." He noted his plan to add a Social Security
payroll tax to incomes above $250,000 a year.
McCain said,
"some of the richest people I've ever known in my life
are the most unhappy."
He said being
rich should be defined by having a home and a prosperous
and safe world. Without mentioning Obama, he said some want
to increase taxes.
"I don't want to
take any money from the rich. I want everybody to get
rich," McCain said. "I don't want to raise anybody's taxes.
I really don't."
When pushed on an
exact number, he turned to his humor. "If you're just
talking about income, how about five million?" he joked,
before pivoting to clarify: "I'm sure that comment
will be distorted."
Asked to name
three wise people they would listen to, Obama named his
wife, Michelle; his maternal grandmother, who lives in
Hawaii; and, not limiting himself to only a third,
named several Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
McCain named Gen.
David Petreaus, head of U.S. troops in Iraq; U.S. Rep.
and veteran civil rights leader John Lewis, D-Ga.; and
former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a top adviser to his
campaign.
He lauded her as
a woman who took a five-person business into a
billion-dollar piece of the economy. "It's one of these
great economic success stories," McCain said.
Obama, asked his
most significant policy shift in the last 10 years,
cited welfare reform. As an Illinois state senator, he
worked to mitigate what he thought could be
"disastrous" effects of President Clinton's welfare
reform effort, but over time came to embrace Clinton's
approach.
"We have to have
work as a centerpiece of any social policy," Obama
said.
The forum carried
opportunities and risks for both candidates. It gave
Obama a chance to discuss his Christian faith and counter
inaccurate beliefs that he is a Muslim. But it also
may have highlighted his positions on issues such as
supporting abortion rights, which Warren and many
other evangelicals oppose.
McCain's
positions are more in line with evangelical Christians. But
he often seems uncomfortable talking about his faith
and other personal beliefs, and the Christian right
shows less enthusiasm for him than for past GOP
contenders.
According to
Saddleback Church officials, there are 2,200 people in the
main room and a total of 4,200 including those watching from
satellite locations. (AP)
