New York Times: John McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’

According to the New York Times, Senator John McCain was not in a “cone of silence” on Saturday as Senator Barack Obama, took questions from Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in California.  McCain was in his motorcade on the way to the church while Obama was questioned.

Prior to the pseudo-debate, Warren assured the audience while he was interviewing Mr. Obama that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence.” and that he could not hear the questions.  Apparently Warren didn’t get the memo that McCain hadn’t arrived.

Now the McCain folks et. al. are starting to spin McCain’s late arrival.  Mike Allen of The Politico has word from the McCain camp that both candidates got some questions in advance.  The Politico reports that a source close to Warren tells Allen that the candidates knew in advance they would be asked their own greatest moral failure, America’s greatest moral failure, and the three wisest people in their lives.

At the beginning of McCain’s portion of the interview, Warren asked “…was the cone of silence comfortable that you were in just now?  McCain answered, “I was trying to hear through the wall.”  Through the wall of his car?

Rick Warren now says McCain didn’t break the so-called “cone of silence.”  Yet he did.  If he wasn’t in the designated room, then he broke the rules.  Warren should come out and apologize for leading the audience to believe that McCain was there.  This is why Obama was right in turning down the town hall debates (that and he can’t get his words out).  If  people have the potential to feed a candidate questions ahead of time it’s too much room for error.

The quick, rapid fire responses McCain was shooting at Warren’s questions is of great concern.  If the shoe were on the other foot, the Republicans would be screaming bloody murder.