|
|
|
News Americas
|
|
|
|
US hopefuls court Christian vote
|
|
|
 |
| McCain, left, and Obama hugged as they met at the mid-point in the session [AFP] |
|
US presidential election candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have met on the campaign trail for the first time, vying for the Christian vote at a forum at the huge Saddleback Church in Orange County, California.
The Republican and Democratic rivals appeared together on the stage at the mid-point of a two-hour discussion where they were asked questions separately by prominent evangelist Rick Warren.
The two sessions on Saturday took a confessional tone at times, with Obama acknowledging experimenting with drugs in his youth and McCain discussing his failed first marriage.
"I had a difficult youth," Obama said when Warren asked about his greatest moral failing. "There were times when I experimented with drugs."
The Illinois senator then broadened the issue to say that America's treatment of the poor was one of the country's biggest moral failings.
'Imperfect person'
Answering the same question, McCain, who grew up Episcopalian but now attends an evangelical Southern Baptist church, said: "My greatest moral failing, and I am a very imperfect person, is the failure of my first marriage."
"America's greatest moral failure has been throughout our existence, perhaps we have not devoted ourselves to causes greater than our self interest," he said about America's failings
Evangelicals account for one in four US adults and have been a significant conservative base for the Republican Party, with a strong focus on opposition to abortion and gay rights and the promotion of "traditional" family values.
The two candidates differed sharply on abortion with Obama saying he supported a woman's right to choose but suggesting that he would limited abortion in the late stages of pregnancy as long as there were exceptions protecting the mother's health.
McCain contended that a baby's right to life began "at conception".
"I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies," he said.
McCain also repeated his support for stem cell research, an issue that has seen him criticised by conservative Christians in the past.
Gay rights
Both men expressed the view that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, but Obama said that he supported civil unions for gay partners, giving them rights such as hospital visits with one another.
 |
| Obama, right, acknowledged experimenting with drugs in his youth [EPA] |
Obama, a Christian who would become the first black president if elected in November, has repeatedly countered rumours that he is Muslim and he also distanced himself from a controversial former pastor.
"The hardcore Christian conservatives know they are not going to vote for Obama, there is nothing that Obama could have done tonight that would have made them vote for him," Glenn Sacks, a Los Angeles-based political columnist and radio commentator, told Al Jazeera.
"But I thought it was a good showing and there a certain amount of the conservative Christians who are disaffected with [President] Bush, they are disaffected with the Republican administration, they want to see some change ... and Obama probably did enough that some of those people will support him."
Although the session was presented as a forum on faith the discussion also covered familiar campaign issues, such as Iraq, national security and the economy.
The forum came as the two candidates prepared for their respective party conventions, where each is set to be officially confirmed as their party's candidate. The Democrats will meet on August 25-28 in Denver, Colorado, and the Republicans on September 1-4 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota.
|
|
Source: |
Al Jazeera and agencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feedback |
Number of comments : 7 |
| |
rezasantorini
United States |
17/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
religion in politics |
|
|
|
|
|
I am ashamed of this and have written my congressmen. Although I agree with some of their statements, it does not need to come from evangelists at a meeting, nor from religion. It needs to come from the hearts of men and woman who believe in the American way of life, the Consitution and ammendments and the laws of the country without a bible or such as a basis. It was the belief and wish of our founders.
|
|
Francis
United Kingdom |
18/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
US hopefuls court Christian vote |
|
|
|
|
|
Shafiq you better make that comment to Osama Bin Laden. As he attacked the US in New York etc, in the name of Allah it’s not too surprising that USA is suspicious of Islam.
Their suspicion may frustrate you and other peace loving Moslems, but Bin Laden and his cronies are just making your life worse rather than bringing in the ‘glorious’ global caliphate he seeks. |
|
SB
United States |
18/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
God |
|
|
|
|
|
Our founders very clearly believed in God and the importance of a constitution that supported biblical principles. Visit the Jefferson monument and you will see that clearly half his quotes reference God and Country. Benjamin Franklin probably not a christian, but argued that a democratic country could not succeed without belief in a supreme being/creator. That holds true today. All of George Washingtons perosnal writings reference God numerous times. |
|
John
United States |
19/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
US Hopefuls court Christian vote |
|
|
|
|
|
In response to the comment by one "SB" about the U.S. being a "Christian Nation". That is revisionist claptrap spread by power hungry evangelicals. They like to say the founding fathers were "Christian" but conveniently forget quotes like this one from Jefferson "I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology." |
|
Shafiq
Bangladesh |
17/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
The Muslim question. |
|
|
|
|
|
It is very upsetting to know that Obama is distancing himself from Muslims in order to appease the Jews and fundamentalist Christians. It also seems that the general attitude in the US is that it is ok in politics to be black or gay or anything else but is not ok to be a Muslim. What a sorry state of affairs the US is in today and yet it preaches freedom and democracy to the rest of the world. |
|
Jim S.
United States |
18/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
US hopefuls court Christian vote |
|
|
|
|
|
Although U.S. Presidential candidates do "court" the majority Christians, they are not unaware of Muslims and others. Within 20 kilometers of the very site where this event occurred, there live at least 50,000 middle class and wealthy Muslims, and everyone knows that... |
|
original911Allende
United States |
19/08/2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
Sad day for Us all |
|
|
|
|
|
We criticize theocracy's around the world,
But we are the saddest, most hypocritical theocracy of them all. I'm ashamed to be a US citizen,
what ever happened to separation of church and state.
These lines are being blurred more and more in this country. WHY do I care if Mcain believes in God, when, if elected he would drop a nuclear bomb on anyone he felt needed to be taught a lesson. Wake UP, US of AMERICA, we have been HIJACKED!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|