Side by Side Saddleback Answers

Mark Belling put together the candidates answers to the same questions from the Saddleback forum. It makes it very easy to follow.

Senator Obama’s responses	Senator McCain’s Responses
Three Wisest People
Warren: the first issue is the area of listening. Now, there's a verse in Proverbs that says, "fools think they need no advice, but wise listen to other people." Who are the three wisest people you know in your life? And who are you going to rely on heavily in your administration?	Warren: Who were the three wisest people that you know that you would rely on heavily in an administration?
Obama: I love the ministries that are taking place here at Saddleback. This is the second time I've been here. The first time, we had a wonderful time. I was going to say -- you know, there are so many people that are constantly helping to shape my views and my opinions. You mentioned one person I'd be listening to, and that's Michelle, my wife ... who is not only wise, but she's honest. And one of the things you need, I think any leader needs, is somebody who can get up in your face and say: boy, you really screwed that one up, you really blew that. [Warren: Your wife's like that, too?] Yes, she is. So that's very helpful. Another person in that category is my grandmother, who is an extraordinary woman. She...never went to college. She worked on a bomber assembly line --during World War II when my grandfather was away -- came back, got a job as a secretary and worked her way up to become a bank vice president before she retired. And she's just a very grounded, common-sense, no-fuss, no-frills kind of person. And when I've got big decisions, I often check in with her. Now, in terms of the administration or how I would approach the presidency, I don't think I'd restrict myself to three people. There are people like Sam Nunn, a Democrat, or Dick Lugar, a Republican, who I'd listen to on foreign policy. On domestic policy, you know, I've got friends ranging from Ted Kennedy to Tom Colbert, who don't necessarily agree on a lot of things, but who both, I think, have a sincere desire to see this country improve. What I've found is very helpful to me is to have a table where a lot of different points of view are represented and where I can sit and poke and prod and ask them questions so that ... any blind spots I have or predispositions that I have, that my assumptions are challenged; and I think that that's extraordinarily important.	McCain: First one, I think, would be general David Patreas, one of great military leaders in America history who took us from defeat to victory in Iraq . one of the great leaders. Fourth of July a year ago, Senator Lindsey Graham and I were in Bagdad. 688 brave Americans whose enlistment had expired swore an oath of re-enlistment to stay and fight for freedom. Only someone like David Patreas could motivate somebody like that. I think John Lewis. John lewis was at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, had his skull fractured; continued to serve, continues to have the most optimistic outlook about America. He can teach us all a lot about the meanings of courage and commitment to causes greater than our self-interest. Meg Whitman. Meg Whitman, the CEO of E-Bay. Meg Whitman, 12 years ago there were five employees. Today they are one and a half million people that make a living off E-Bay in America and in the world. It's one of these great American success stories and in these economic challenging times we need to call on the wisdom and knowledge, background of people like Meg Whitman who have been able to make such a great America success story part of the world's folklore.

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