Having returned from listening to John McCain at the Aspen Institute, I am filled with more hope about the future than I thought I would be. Not so much because of what Senator McCain had to say. Though to be honest, he was remarkably impressive even to a guy who has lost much of the enthusiasm that I felt for him when he was “the maverick senator from Arizona”, and not the GOP candidate for President.
What excited me was the level of questions from the audience. They overwhelmingly avoided either rah-rah silliness from the Republicans in the tent or any hostility or disrespect from the Democrats. It really was the kind of the Civil Forum that Rev. Rick Warren is hosting this Saturday night at Saddleback Church, at which Barack Obama and John McCain will talk together, not debate each other – at least that’s the plan. And it got me thinking about the kind of questions that I would ask both candidates.
There are lots of questions that beliefnet.com community members are posting right now which they would pose to one of the candidates, and they are worth checking out. But the questions which could be asked of both candidates, strike me as least likely to produce more meaningless and polarizing debate, and most likely to generate the conversations about the future of our nation and this planet, which we need to have regardless of who get elected in November.
So here are the questions that I would put to BOTH Senators Obama and McCain on Saturday night, or any other time that I have the chance:
1. What traits or abilities does your adversary possess which you would do well to emulate? How would your presidency reflect your growth in that direction?
2. In what policy areas could your party learn from the opposition? How will you effectively integrate that learning into the policies of your administration?
3. Each of you has declared yourselves as Christians. What teaching of Jesus, or other biblical passage, would you bear in mind as you began each day in the Oval office, and why?
4. As you look down the road four and a half years from now, what one accomplishment, in your own mind, would mark your presidency as a success?
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
posted August 15, 2008 at 2:09 pm
“If Jesus were here today, would he support the Iraq war? Would he support starting another war in Iran?”
posted August 15, 2008 at 4:04 pm
How does equating free speech with political campaign contributions keep average folks voices from being drowned out? If we had public financing of our elections wouldn’t that save government officials from having to do favors, and the rest of us a lot of taxes for pork?
Mr. Hirschfield,
I’ve done my share of partisan work and demonizing the opposition wasn’t real healthy psychologically for me. I do think it’s sad that negativity works so well in politics.
I really like your questions. I also appreciated “What’s a Jewish Blog?”. It seems like your consistently inclusive.
posted August 16, 2008 at 11:11 am
Hope the war talk on tv the last few days does not help McCain HOWEVER,
I do like your questions but bet that they are the kind that they would insist on having beforehand and have “their people” put the spin on it.
Obama seems to be the only one to give answers, vauge as they may be, that later he does not have to explain.
Remember the “good ol days” of the 40s and 50s when Republicans claimed Democrats started wars to help the economy since they did not help big business? Then a general would be up for election-Eisenhower-win so he would stop the war and then ruin things, the Dems would get in to fix stuff up and sure enough we would need a change so the Repubs got in.
Different scenereo but seems eerily like here we go again! These guys would NEVER answer these questions except as a politico so it would almost not matter-and would get help…..sigh.