(in my opinion.) I think that John McCain really showed the nation who he was (a POW, a POW, a POW- did I mention, a POW?) and took a very superficial, platform, party speech response to questions that could have opened up substance. He spoke to the choir of the 'old line' evangelicals. And of course, the (TM)Traditional Media wouldn't know the difference...they are the 'old line echo chamber'.
However, having listened to the young evangelicals on the media, I think he showed them that he didn't have a 'personal', not to mention, spiritual respone to a question, but a 'campaign response.' For this reason, I wouldn't be surprised if Obama DID make inroads with the young group looking to break out of the 'all war, all the time,' mindset of Bush, and look towards the social gospel.
McCain was indistinguishable from Bush in his answers and I have to believe that the intelligent young people who have challenged being used by the "Religious Right", such as David Kuo, would notice that this is just more of the bellicose, unthinking, unfeeling diatribe and notice the the difference between Obama and McCain.
McCain, as Pat Buchanan said, "was black and white" and Buchanan presented that as a positive. I think that even the Evangelicals of this country are 'burned out' with the rigidity of this point of view.
I don't think that Obama lost tonight. To the older Evangelicals, he did; but he doesn't have any way to get them because he is not a 'black and white guy.' (sorry for the unintended pun...he actually is the most black and white guy out there...sorry)
Anyway, I think that this was a smart thing for Obama to do. I didn't think he was nervous but thoughtful. I felt that his mien was 'churchlike' and respectful. McCain blustered in, with all his prepared answers (whether that was from a smart prep team or a leak?,) and didn't look into himself at all. Most thoughtful people of religion do look into themselves as a primary route to their beliefs and ethics and actions. And they can recognize when someone is not willing or able to look inside themselves.
The fact that McCain used his POW experience as a feint to take attention away from his inability to be thoughtful/religious/spiritual about the questions that were actually asked, is indicative of his religious shallowness.
To me, Obama came across as a person of faith and McCain came across as a political, glad-handing slick operator. But that was my take. I don't think Obama lost to the group he was trying to appeal, the Matthew 25 Group. I think highly of this group of people and think that they can spot bullshit when they see it.
To me, the real loser in this forum was Rick Warren. I went into tonight with curiosity about him and have come away with a bad taste in my mouth. It seemed to me that he repeatedly cut off Obama, who was trying to expand on his answers and hurried him on the questions. And yet, he let McCain go on and on and even took McCain back to the Georgia question. The fact that he didn't rein in McCain the way that he did Obama, showed an egregrious lack of balance. I think that was disgusting.
It became evident that he was doing a home shopping network promotion for McCain. I am disgusted with Warren.
UPDATE: David Gergen on CNN just said that McCain came acros like Teddy Roosevelt, with a lot of bluster, and that Obama came across as more thoughtful. He said that that McCain showed in his response re. evil, "defeat it" that he was willing to be combatative all the time. Then he went on to describe Obama's "confront' as a more, thoughtful response, saying that it was important for us to realize that this would characterize their styles of presidency. Basically he ended up saying that McCain's bellicosity would alarm people in the long run.
UPDATE II:
ht/thanks to Brainwrap for link:
link to video clips on YouTube
UPDATE III:
For further information on Matthew 25 and their support of Obama
Check out this group's post here:
Aug 15 Dairy on DKos by Matthew 25 Group