August 17, 2008
Posted: August 17th, 2008 07:18 PM ET
From CNN Sr. National Editor Steve Brusk, CNN's Dana Bash, CNN's Mike Roselli, Extra
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. Filed under: Extra John McCain
|
The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com. CNN=Politics Screensaver
New in the Ticker
@wolfblitzercnn: The Obama team might move terror detainees from Gitmo to Illinois. Sen Dick Durbin comes to SitRoom Tuesday to discuss You like this idea?
Updated: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:01:49 -0800 @wolfblitzercnn: CNN Jessica Yellin did a very good report in SitRoom on Sarah Palin and her sexuality -- the fact that she's good looking. Did you see it?
Updated: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:55:04 -0800 @wolfblitzercnn: I have so many legal questions about 9/11 detainees gioing to NYC and, possibly, a prison in Illinois. Jeff Toobin in SitRoom with answers.
Updated: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:46:54 -0800 @wolfblitzercnn: The New Yorker's Seymour Hersh comes to The SitRoom today to report on the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
Updated: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:29:31 -0800 @wolfblitzercnn: Major Hasan visited a strip club in Killeen even as he prayed five times a day. We'll assess with a Muslim scholar today in SitRoom.
Updated: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:27:49 -0800 Categories
Archive
Popular Posts
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loading weather data ...