Saddleback Burns: McCain Wasn't in "Code of Silence"; McCain Camp Complains to Media for Passing On Allegation He Heard Questions Ahead of Time

I thought the Saddleback debate was a wonderful way to gauge the two candidates and compare them to one another. I also think that Rick Warren did a great job, with balanced and probing questions ... questions which any legitimate candidate for President of the United States should have already wrestled with on his own, way before arriving at this debate. Therefore, why did Obama respond to the questions as if it was the first time he has ever considered these points. John McCain's immediate and decisive answers show that he had already given a great deal of thought to real concerns, as posed in these questions ... where as Obama had to take the time to stutter and deliberate over the same questions asked of McCain. This was very revealing, and so were the Obama camp's accusations of cheating, after Obama lost the debate ... just another indication that Obama is a sore loser who is not qualified to lead this country ... and, McCain is.

"Obama fans certainly live on inuendo and rumor. Not to mention, their candidate's never-ending BS.

Posted by: Martin Slueg | Aug 18, 2008 2:44:55 PM"

I wonder if that's above his pay scale... ;-)

"OBAMA AT THE VERY LEAST TELLS THE TRUTH."

No Rodney.

"OBAMA TELLS THE TRUTH THE VERY LEAST!"

If this story was the other way around and McCain supporters thought Obama had previous access to McCain's answers

HOLY JESUS! it'd be non stop WHINING!

Love it. Typical MSM, claiming McCain cheated, when in fact, Obama admits to it! Obama blurted out a response to a specific question about an emergency plan to help orphans: “I cheated a little bit. I looked into this.” What's that? Was Obama revealing that he somehow received Warren’s questions in advance and had time to prepare answers while McCain did not?
(Wow, can't wait for the debates that Obama actually is required to participate in!)

Obama fans certainly live on inuendo and rumor. Not to mention, their candidate's never-ending BS.

Wow...I just know if McCain heard Obama's answers, he changed all his.
Geeze....what a non story this is, in a slow week leading up to the conventions.
This was just a forum with one guy who really knows who he is and what he stands for and another who doesn't.
McCAIN ALL THE WAY!

The New York Times? Didn't they learn their lesson with that fake lobbyist story they pushed about McCain? Isn't that the rag that published Obama's op-ed piece but refused to print McCain's? Ah yes, got it now.

So let's get this straight. Obama supporters are upset that McCain may have "lied and cheated".

But they aren't upset that Obama lied about how much money Rezko threw his way. And they aren't upset that Obama lied about hearing Rev. Wright's anti-American, racist sermons. And they aren't upset that Obama's halcyon memories of his father being airlifted to the U.S. by the Kennedys and his mother and father meeting at Selma and his father being a poor disadvantaged goat-herder and his own economically underprivileged upbringing have been proven lies.

Have I got that right?

I watched the forum and am mystified by some of the responses I see here. I thought Davis' questions and Obama's answers were thoughtful and revealing. They certainly beat the "why don't you wear a flag pin" ABC debate.

Apparently, we're at a point when the candidate's positions and statements must be capable of being reduced to a bumper sticker slogan or they're either suspect or not worth listening to.

I'm afraid the world's usually much more complicated than bumper sticker thinking allows for. Sorry that Senator Obama's answers seem to have taxed the patience of so many of you. Maybe this is the price we have to pay for being led by idiots snarling nonsensical, deceitful slogans for the past eight years.

This isn't yet a "revelation", is it? The NYT states it as a fact, but gives no evidence at all. Do we have anything more at this point than NBC and NYT (and now ABC?) repeating an accusation leveled by the Obama campaign without any proof? Good thing it didn't come from the National Enquirer or we would never hear so much about this rumor from the MSM!

McBush has cheated again as he cheated on his first wife. He knew the questions before hand and has prepared his answers. Who cheated once will cheat for ever. God save America from McSame.

I'm laughing! I always thought the Democratic Party was riddled with leftists frothing and foaming with conspiracy theorists! It's the only way to get around reality...come up with an alternative reality! So sad. Let's be real here: Obama, for all his smooth, Harvard Law School, silver tongued blessings, had circles run around him by a senior citizen! It was like watching the professor and one of his mediocre grad students! LOVE IT!

since McCain does not answer all of the 'cone of silence' questions ask him if he will submit to a lie detector test to verify he was not provided with Obama's questions and answers/and/or did not listen to them directly? I bet he will never agree to that - and we will have our true answer. In the meantime, Pastor Warren should have taken precautions to make sure all was in order before the Forum started - now all he is left with is a Forum which lacks credibility.

The Obama supporters just must be really disappointed about his performance. Otherwise they would have dropped the whole thing.

The whole question is that we are supposed to take McCain at his word.

But he agreed to be at the church, sequestered in advance, and he wasn't. And then he said that he was.

If McCain came out and said that he cheated... he would drop in the polls. Which explains the over the top pushback that the McCain camp is giving.

“The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous," she said.

It's official. Maverick McCain can do whatever he wants because he's a P.O.W. How will that work out if he becomes President?

Honestly, who are all these shallow thinkers(?) who ache for another guy in the WH that has no foreign policy experience or military knowledge?! The presidency is above Obama's pay grade! "Hope" without substance stinks! Say NO to B.O!

Obama campaign should shut up about this...they're looking weak. McCAIN WANTED TO DO THIS ON THE SAME STAGE TOGETHER PEOPLE. Why can't everyone just accept, McCain knows who he is, what he believes in, and what he wants to do for this country. THANK GOD, WARREN DIDN'T HAVE TO FINISH HIS ANSWWERS LIKE HE DID THE BUMBLING OBAMA!!!!

All it took was someone in Saddleback with a cellphone, sending the questions to McCain as they came out of Warren's mouth. Very easy. Since McCain was not sequestered by Warren in the auditorium.

For example, on "Family Feud," the 'Lightning Round' contestant is shown offstage listening to loud music in headphones. You know where that person was when the questions were asked to their partner.

Didn't happen at Saddleback. So the cheating allegation is McCain's fault for not taking steps to avoid the possibility of this charge dogging his performance.

It still does not explain why he replaced his own POW story with that of Alexander Solzenitzyn's 'cross in the dirt,' however.