Character Counts

As McCain and Obama paid homage to Pastor Rick and the evang. vote, we wonder just how much influence the issues that have symbolize the movement (abortion, gay marriage and stem cells) will have in '08. Warren, already well-known for breaking out of the Falwell/Robertson mold, told his congregants that they shouldn't "just look at issues" but should focus on candidates' "character". If so, which candidate has defined himself best?

-- In his a.m. speech to the VFW, McCain hit Obama hard. No longer just joking about "celebrity," McCain notes that while Obama has the "ambition" to be president, the GOPer questions whether his Dem rival has the "judgment to be commander in chief."

-- It's the experience question that continues to dog Obama, even among some trad'l Dem voters. According to Pew, white, non-college voters are 3x more "troubled" by Obama's "personal abilities and experience" than his positions on "social and moral issues."

-- For his part, Obama has turned up the rhetoric linking McCain to Bush. Is this a sign that McCain's "maverick" image has been tougher to deflate than they thought?