McCain scores most points in faith-oriented forum, but Obama probably helped himself too

As Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama prepared for their back-to-back interviews by pastor Rick Warren at his Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif., NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd wrote in his "First Read" column: "This is a HUGE opportunity for Obama. Time and again, he has been more open to talking about his relationship with God, while McCain has been more reticent on the topic." And on CNN before the first interview, Tony Perkins of the socially conservative Family Research Council said "Obama has the most to gain," and McCain "needs to shore up his support among evangelicals." (Photo by Monica Almeida, The New York Times)

But the interviews were not so much inquiries about faith as they were conversations on big issues like war, taxes and education. And while Obama was more of a conversationalist with Warren, McCain directed his remarks at the audience, and scored repeatedly with plain, direct statements. Obama was more about nuance. For example, when asked if evil exists and of so how it should be dealt with, McCain chose the option, "Defeat it" and Obama said evil can't be eliminated. "That is God’s task," he said, "but we can be soldiers in the process."

That was one of many times the candidates dropped in religious references. McCain had twice as many applause lines as Obama, and not because the church crowd was out of sync with Obama on social issues; three of his dozen or so applause lines came during his discussion of marriage. (Obama was interviewed first; McCain was in a room where he could not hear the conversation, but they shook hands between interviews, making this their first joint appearance.)

While McCain got better reviews and likely gained the most, by solidifying his conservative evangelical base, Obama also helped himself. For many viewers, this was their best chance yet to take the measure of a man many of them are not quite sure about. And because many evangelicals are moderate, Obama's mix of faith and issue positions probably helped him with such voters.

That is more likely outside the South, where the Southern Baptist Convention (once a doctinare supporter of the separation of church and state) and many of its churches have become powerful messengers of social conservatism and activist politics. (Counties where Southern Baptists dominate are shown in red on map from the Glenmary Center.) CNN's Dana Bash said before the interviews that Obama's main targets are evangelicals in small-town Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those are big, Northern states where he did not do well in primaries, and Pennsylvania was on his mind when he made the famous comment about bitter small-town voters.

Bash displayed her lack of understanding of the candidates' religion when she said McCain "belongs to a Baptist church, but has not been baptized yet." That's a Southern Baptist church in Phoenix she was talking about, and you don't join one of those churches without being baptized -- or transferring your membership from a church that baptized you.

UPDATE, Aug. 18: Obama made misleading claims about ethics and abortion, and McCain exaggerated his tax-cut proposals, says Annenberg Political Fact Check.