Obama
v. "Oh, Bomb 'Em"
by Robert McElvaine,
OpEdNews
Republicans and self-styled "Christians"
are agog over what Andrea
Mitchell of NBC characterized as the "crisp, immediate, forceful
response" John McCain gave to Rick Warren's question about evil during the forum at the
Saddleback Church. They dismiss Barack Obama's "more nuanced
approach."
"Sen. McCain was
crisp, decisive, knew what he was about, knew his values," Gov. Tim
Pawlenty (R, Minn.), who is a favorite of the "Christian Right," proclaimed on
Face the Nation on Sunday. "Sen. Obama, I thought, was hesitant,
halting, and quite wandering in his answers."
Pastor Rick asked the following
question of both candidates: "Does evil exist? And if it does, do we
ignore it? Do we negotiate with it? Do we contain it? Do we defeat it?"
Here is a portion of
Obama's reasoned, considered, "nuanced" answer:
"Evil does exist. I
mean, I think we see evil all the time. We see evil in Darfur.
We see evil, sadly, on the streets of our cities. . . . It has to be confronted
squarely . . . . I think [it] is very important for to us have some humility in
how we approach the issue of confronting evil, because a lot of evil's been
perpetrated based on the claim that we were trying to confront evil. . . . in
the name of good. . . . [J]ust because we think that our intentions are good,
doesn't always mean that we're going to be doing good."
Here, in stark contrast,
is McCain's answer:
"Defeat it."
One can't get much more
"crisp" and "decisive" than that! And it sure sounds like
the proper Christian answer to what to do about evil, doesn't it?
Sen. McCain's values,
which he knows so well, are based on that revered commandment from Jesus,
"Shoot first and ask questions later."
Let's see, that's from .
. . uh . . . the fifth chapter of Matthew, isn't it?
Oops. That's where Jesus
offers an answer to Pastor Warren's question on what to do about evil that is
nearly opposite to Sen. McCain's:

"But
I say to you, 'Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also.'" (Matt. 5:39)
Several biblical Proverbs
also reject Mr. McCain's "crisp, immediate, forceful response." A few
examples:

"He
who is slow to anger is better than the mighty." (Prov. 16:32)
"A man of quick
temper acts foolishly, but a man of discretion is patient." (Prov. 14:17)
"He who is slow to
anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts
folly." (Prov. 14:29)
"A hot-tempered man
stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention." (Prov.
15:18)
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