McCain Scores Perfect "10" at Saddleback Forum; Obama Flounders.(John McCain and Barack Obama)

"I want people to know me well." -- Pro-abortion Senator Barack Obama, speaking August 16 at Rick Warren's "Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency"

Thanks to Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life), many people now not only know a great deal more about Democrat presidential nominee Senator Obama, but also about pro-life Senator John McCain, who is his party's standard bearer. It was an extremely revealing two hours. Kudos to CNN for carrying the discussion and to those other cable networks that broadcast it as well.

Sen. Obama had a disastrous night in Lake Forest, Calif., while Sen. McCain was as successful as Obama was ineffective. This assessment applies across the board to virtually every issue Warren inquired about, but most certainly when it came to abortion.

But, if you think about it, this was almost inevitable.

Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson observed in a column that appeared in the Washington Post that "Obama is one of those rare political figures who seems to grow smaller the closer we approach him." Having floated on "hope" for this entire election season, the junior senator from Illinois faces the unenviable prospect of figuring out what to say once the bubble bursts.

No one underestimates Obama's appeal. To borrow from a commercial, his "charisma can be seen from outer space." But only in the insular world of the "mainstream media" can a halting, sputtering speaking style become hallmarks of "authenticity" and "nuance" and "complexity."

All this and more was on display that Saturday night. But on the response to Warren's question"At what point does a baby get human rights in your view?"Obama doused his hemming and hawing with what presumably was supposed to be taken as either irony, humility, or both.