John McCain rallies

IT IS an interesting comment on American politics that the first encounter between the two presidential candidates took place in a mega-church presided over by a famous preacher. It is an interesting comment on the American media that Rick Warren—Pastor Rick to the faithful at his church, Saddleback, in California—put on such an impressive performance. He eschewed the gotcha-in-a-flip-flop questions beloved of professional journalists in favour of substantive questions about the candidates’ characters and beliefs. He should be asked to moderate the debates.

Barack Obama was everything you might expect—thoughtful and intelligent. But he was also long-winded and at times evasive. The real revelation of the evening was John McCain. He came across as feisty and full of life. A bit bombastic, certainly, and a bit too inclined to rely on his stump speech. But he nevertheless seemed like a man who knew his mind and could sell his beliefs with a joke and an anecdote. ...