Warren to CNN: McCain was not in "cone of silence"

Well that would explain how McCain was so ready with some of his answers.

 

First of all, this is an unsubstantiated rumor that really deserves no credit until it is proven.

More importantly, the mere need to rationalize McCain's incredible performance last night (and Barry Soetoro's faceplant) is patent acknowledgement that McCain pounded Obama into submission.

Whether McCain heard the questions or not, Obama still stunk up the joint. Your rumor does not speak to that at all, Bats.

Just man up and admit that your candidate is in over his head here. There is no need to fabricate rumors and coddle the guy.

 

Obama didn't stink up the joint at all. There was nothing wrong with the answers he gave and he did perfectly fine.

 

So Jorge can you explain McCain's response "I hope we get back to that question on supreme court judges" when the question hadn't been asked?

 

Nominating supreme court judges is one of the most important items on the evangelicals' agenda. It's incredibly obvious to anyone who follows politics that the question would come up when you are at a church.

This rumor is baseless. Batman, can you keep from impugning your reputation and offer up some credible support for this allegation of cheating? If not, the mods ought to just lock this one up.

The hilarious irony of this allegation is that it presupposes that Obama got his azz handed to him. Which of course he did last night. There would be no need to attempt to rationalize the skunk juice that Obama emitted last night if that weren't the case.

 

read the quote again...I hope we get back, not i hope we touch on....
what does that mean?

 

I think warren mentioned that there was a question on justices, and that it was coming up later...so mccain said, ok, i hope we can get back to that question.

I recall the exchange and didn't think anything of it.

McCain did well - and i think the religious conservatives responded. But i think Obama spoke more to moderates than McCain did.

 

They both had a look at the questions before the conversation. Remember when Obama "confessed to cheating" and looking up some info about a program that had some relevance to a question being asked.

So who won the coin flip to go first: Obama or McCain?

 

No, mcmark had it right. McCain wanted to answer one of the questions with a statement about the selection of justices but he thought to ask RW if they would talk about it later with a frame of reference clearly indicating that he had been listening to Obama's answers and so he answered in a different vein.

 

Are you going to lie to our face? You have some explaining to do, because this link from CNN reports that Warren said the cone was NOT violated and that McCain had not heard any of the questions. Please explain to the board why you told a lie.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
Warren: McCain did not violate 'cone of silence'
Posted: 07:18 PM ET

From CNN Sr. National Editor Steve Brusk, CNN's Dana Bash, CNN's Mike Roselli


Warren and McCain camp insist the presumptive Republican nominee had no edge over Obama by going second.
(CNN) – Sometimes you just have to take it on faith.

Pastor Rick Warren said John McCain didn’t hear any of the questions in advance at Saturday night’s Civil Forum, even if the candidate was a little late arriving to the pre-arranged quiet room or “cone of silence.”

At the beginning of the forum at California megachurch, Warren told the crowd and TV audience, “I'm going to ask identical questions to each of these candidates, so you can compare apples to apples. Now, Senator Obama is going to go first. We flipped a coin, and we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence.”

But at 8 p.m. ET, as Warren said that, McCain was actually not in the building. He was just leaving his hotel, with his motorcade arriving at the church nearly a half hour into the event. A. Larry Ross, a spokesman for Warren, says McCain then went directly into the holding room they dubbed the “cone of silence” (in reality, a room with no TV or audio).

Some questioned whether that late arrival might have allowed McCain to hear some of the questions being first posed to Obama.

Warren told CNN Sunday evening, “we flat out asked him” if he heard any of the questions. The McCain campaign “confirmed that McCain did not hear or see any of the broadcast” in the motorcade or after he arrived, Ross said.

When asked if McCain overheard anything, Charlie Black, a McCain adviser who was with him at the time, told CNN: "We were in motorcade until 5:30 p.m. ET; then a holding room in another building with no TV."

Warren said, “I trust the integrity of both” candidates, and said he “knew they would abide by the rules.” He joked McCain may not have been in the cone of silence, but “he was in the cone of a Secret Service motorcade”.

Ross says the whole event only came about because of the relationship Warren has with both men. He said they all agreed to assure a “level field, “McCain would not hear the questions or Senator Obama’s answers.” The pastor spoke to each candidate this week, giving the general themes. Warren decided to tell them each the first two questions in advance, about the three wisest people you know, and the biggest moral failings.

For their part, an Obama spokesperson told CNN’s Mike Roselli they are not pursuing whether McCain heard any of the other questions. They say they assuming McCain had the same information they did.

 

We have had both parties talking about the other's candidate as just awful and unqualified.

We have had both parties make wild accusations about the other candidate.

Now we have "cones of silence?"

Politics has officially become incredibly dumb.

 

I figured it was probaly a set up, so i'm not surprised....this and the pennsylvania debate agianst clinton was he worse performce in my book....he gave good thoughtfull answers, but the contrast between the two wasn't a good look.we all know that mccain is the most forgetfull presidential canidate probally in history.

 

Batman, you were very obviously insinuating that McCain had the questions ahead of time. Your source was Rick Warren. Warren came out and cleared things up by saying McCain did not have the questions. Despite this, you post that CNN/Politico had 'confirmed' your story. That was a mischaracterization intended to imply that McCain had an advantage. He had no such advantage -- your same source said so. Yes, you left some wiggle room (purposefully, no doubt) to bring up your current excuse once your lie was brought to everyone's attention. Convenient. Transparent.

Again, the very fact that you have to explain away (even through lies) Obama's performance suggests that he clearly lost the night. Anyone watching could have confirmed that.

This thread really ought to be locked since Batman's rumor has been debunked and discredited. McCain simply did not cheat or have prior knowledge of the questions. He beat Obama fair and square -- which really shouldn't be hard to believe, given that McCain is actually qualified to answer these types of questions.

 

The New York Times

August 18, 2008

Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

ORLANDO, Fla. — Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday night while his rival, Senator Barack Obama, was being interviewed at the Saddleback Church in California.

Members of the McCain campaign staff, who flew here Sunday from California, said Mr. McCain was in his motorcade on the way to the church as Mr. Obama was being interviewed by the Rev. Rick Warren, the author of the best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life.”

The matter is of interest because Mr. McCain, who followed Mr. Obama’s hourlong appearance in the forum, was asked virtually the same questions as Mr. Obama. Mr. McCain’s performance was well received, raising speculation among some viewers, especially supporters of Mr. Obama, that he was not as isolated during the Obama interview as Mr. Warren implied.

Nicolle Wallace, a spokeswoman for Mr. McCain, said on Sunday night that Mr. McCain had not heard the broadcast of the event while in his motorcade and heard none of the questions.

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

Before an audience of more than 2,000 people at the church, the candidates answered questions about policy and social issues.

Mr. Warren, the pastor of Saddleback, had assured the audience while he was interviewing Mr. Obama that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence” and that he could not hear the questions.

After Mr. Obama’s interview, he was joined briefly by Mr. McCain, and the candidates shook hands and embraced.

Mr. Warren started by asking Mr. McCain, “Now, my first question: Was the cone of silence comfortable that you were in just now?”

Mr. McCain deadpanned, “I was trying to hear through the wall.”

Interviewed Sunday on CNN, Mr. Warren seemed surprised to learn that Mr. McCain was not in the building during the Obama interview.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/politics/18mccain.html


As big an event, as big a deal as this forum was for the two candidates, it is astonishing that McCain was NOT IN THE BUILDING during Obama's hour with the Reverend Warren. That is simply difficult to believe. McCain has absolutely no excuse for not following the rules. Did the limo have a flat tire? Didn't hear of one. Did McCain stay too long in the shower? Spend too long on the toilet reading Mad Magazine? Spend too much time eating a pre-event snack prior to the drive to the church, something known ahead of time for weeks, one can assume? Did Senator McCain pop a Viagra and get sexy with his wife/girlfriend or hotel help, hopefully of the opposite sex (not that there's anything wrong with that, if he doesn't fly straight!) and lose track of time?

WTF?? This is absurd. Was he busy listening to Obama in the limo? Nah, couldn't be that now, could it? Oh, of course not. Bet it was an attack of Delhi Belly, or the Tijuana Squirts, as those less traveled call the affliction. Sure... it was those .99 cent Jack-in-the-Box tacos. John, you gotta lay off those, dude. They might kill ya!



Impeach Bush/Cheney.