"Above my paygrade"
 

Huh?

Did they not prep this guy for that question? Surely they knew it was coming. I can see all the Obamaniacs sitting around doing the prep work, and Obama unveils the "above my paygrade" line and they all have a simultaneous orgasm. "That's gold, Jerry, gold."

Well here's something that should be well within in your paygrade: maintaining control of your own nominating covention.

This guy can't even take on the Clintons let alone Akmadigyouseemydog.

He looks like a very, very little man.

That's a soundbite for the ages, right there.

You combine that with his voting record, McCain's going to have one killer (no pun intended) of an October surprise ad to run.

That was certainly not one of his better responses.

It reminded me of a physician going before a peer review on malpractice at one of the hospitals.

When asked about his mistakes, he responded with a trite response, "Well there was only one perfect healer ..."

Thud.

I don't think it is all that bad. I think he meant something along the lines of "that is a question only God can answer." The exact moment that life begins is almost impossible to answer, unless you believe it begins at conception (as McCain now claims). Saying it begins at conception isn't without its own serious political challenges either.

It doesn't sound great, but I think when put in context it isn't outlandish. I wouldn't be surprised if he intended to follow up with "that is something only God knows," particularly given the audience he gave the quote to.

Spin, spin, spin.

Cali, you know what he meant, and I know what he meant, but it was a poor answer either way around, and you know exactly what McCain's 527s are going to do with the soundbite.

The question wasn't "when does life begin?" Rather it was "when does a baby get human rights in your view?" This isn't a theological question but a legal question. Something a former Con Law prof should be able to handle with ease. Obama answered the expected question and whiffed on the actual question. Of course, we all know what he wanted to say and that is that a baby receives full human rights at birth.

Good thing that question wasn't asked of President Monson.

I think President Monson's answer would have been essentially the same as Obama's: "don't know."

So don't criticize Obama too much, when the LDS policy displays the same ambiguity.

Fair?

I noticed that, too. It wasn't a biological question or philosophical one. The way the q was phrased he had an easy out, but he didn't take it.

NOW, LET'S DEAL WITH ABORTION. 40 MILLION

5 ABORTIONS SINCE ROE V. WADE. YOU KNOW, AS A PASTOR I

6 HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS ALL OF THE TIME. ALL OF THE

7 PAIN AND ALL OF THE CONFLICTS. I KNOW THIS IS A VERY

8 COMPLEX ISSUE. 40 MILLION ABORTIONS. AT WHAT POINT

9 DOES A BABY GET HUMAN RIGHTS IN YOUR VIEW?

10 A. WELL, I THINK THAT WHETHER YOU ARE LOOKING AT

11 IT FROM A THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OR A SCIENTIFIC

12 PERSPECTIVE, ANSWERING THAT QUESTION WITH SPECIFICITY,

13 YOU KNOW, IS ABOVE MY PAY GRADE. BUT LET ME JUST SPEAK

14 MORE GENERALLY ABOUT THE ISSUE OF ABORTION BECAUSE THIS

15 IS SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY THE COUNTRY WRESTLES WITH. ONE

16 THING THAT I'M ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED OF IS THERE IS A

17 MORAL AND ETHICAL CONTENT TO THIS ISSUE. SO I THINK

18 THAT ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO DENY THE MORAL DIFFICULTIES

19 AND GRAVITY OF THE ABORTION ISSUE I THINK IS NOT PAYING

20 ATTENTION. SO THAT WOULD BE POINT NUMBER ONE.

21 BUT POINT NUMBER TWO, I AM PRO-CHOICE. I

22 BELIEVE IN ROE V. WADE AND COME TO THAT CONCLUSION NOT

23 BECAUSE I'M PRO ABORTION, BUT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY I

24 DON'T THINK WOMEN MAKE THESE DECISIONS CASUALLY. THEY

25 WRESTLE WITH THESE THINGS IN PROFOUND WAYS. IN

1 CONSULTATION WITH THEIR PASTORS OR SPOUSES OR THEIR

2 DOCTORS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. AND SO FOR ME, THE

3 GOAL RIGHT NOW SHOULD BE -- AND THIS IS WHERE I THINK

4 WE CAN FIND COMMON GROUND AND BY THE WAY I HAVE NOW

5 INSERTED THIS INTO THE DEMOCRAT PARTY PLATFORM IS HOW

6 DO WE REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS BECAUSE THE FACT

7 IS THAT ALTHOUGH WE'VE HAD A PRESIDENT WHO IS OPPOSED

8 TO ABORTIONS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, ABORTIONS HAVE

9 NOT GONE DOWN.

10 Q. HAVE YOU EVER VOTED TO LIMIT OR REDUCE

11 ABORTIONS?

12 A. I AM IN FAVOR, FOR EXAMPLE, OF LIMITS ON LATE

13 TERM ABORTIONS IF THERE IS AN EXCEPTION FOR THE

14 MOTHER'S HEALTH. NOW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THOSE

15 WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE PRO LIFE, I THINK THEY WOULD

16 CONSIDER THAT INADEQUATE. AND I RESPECT THEIR VIEWS.

17 I MEAN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ALWAYS SAID IS THAT

18 ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT LIFE

19 BEGINS AT CONCEPTION, THEN -- AND YOU ARE CONSISTENT IN

20 THAT BELIEF, THEN I CAN'T ARGUE WITH YOU ON THAT

21 BECAUSE THAT IS A CORE ISSUE OF FAITH FOR YOU.

22 WHAT I CAN DO IS SAY ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE

23 CAN WORK TOGETHER TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UNWANTED

24 PREGNANCIES SO THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE REDUCING THE SENSE

25 THAT WOMEN ARE SEEKING OUT ABORTIONS, AND AS AN EXAMPLE

1 OF THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT IS

2 HOW DO WE PROVIDE THE RESOURCES THAT ALLOW WOMEN TO

3 MAKE THE CHOICE TO KEEP A CHILD. YOU KNOW, HAVE WE

4 GIVEN THEM THE HEALTH CARE THAT THEY NEED. HAVE WE

5 GIVEN THEM THE SUPPORT SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. HAVE

6 WE GIVEN THEM THE OPTIONS OF ADOPTION THAT ARE

7 NECESSARY. THAT I THINK CAN MAKE A GENUINE DIFFERENCE.

Funny you mention that. I remember last night thinking, his answer would have been a ton better if he'd just said "I have no idea."