Senators John McCain and Barack Obama sat for successive interviews with Mega Pastor Rick Warren at a evangelical forum at Warren's Saddleback Christian Church in Lake Forest, California. Warren asked both men the same questions. McCain said he did not see or hear Obama’s session, which might have given him an advantage. Obama said America’s greatest moral failure is its insufficient help to the disadvantaged. He noted that the Bible quotes Jesus as saying “whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” He said the maxim should apply to victims of poverty, sexism and racism. McCain said the nation’s greatest moral shortcoming is its failure to “devote ourselves to causes greater than our self-interests.” (AP)

GMWA The PraiseNet made a not-so joyful noise at last week's Gospel Music Workshop conference at the grand Ole Opry in Nashville, where it was reported that chapter reps were unhappy (to say the least) about our re-running The $20M Pyramid: What Does The GMWA Glorify? While our intension is not to offend, we nevertheless stand behind our essay and continue to ask the question, most especially in light of reports of extremely low-rent behavior at the Gaylord Opryland--folks hanging around the lobby and banging on the piano all hours of the day and night--and the announced report of fifty GMA attendees walking out of a Cracker Barrel restaurant without paying. The week was rife with examples of extremely un-Christ-like behavior, church folk acting just like morons in head-shaking accounts of behavior I wouldn't expect from a town drunk. It's a two-fer: these folk making me ashamed to be Christian and black at the same time. Anyone who'd care to try and answer our question can post a comment at the end of the essay. We welcome your opinions and comments, even if they're not ours. The PraiseNet is a place for many voices, and sometimes we just flat get it wrong. But we believe we're asking a reasonable question: what does the GMA glorify? GMA officers are welcome to submit a rebuttal piece, which we will run unedited and in its entirety.

President Bush seems hell-bent on getting us into a war with Russia, which must bewilder the Iranians whom, I'm certain, believed they were next on the president's hit list. Bush's encouragement of Georgian sovereignty led to the Georgian state, a former satellite of the Soviet Union and right on the border with Russia, to take aggressive military action two of its provinces, which were threatening to breakaway and join Russia. Georgia's aggressive stance with these provinces led to a Russian intervention in Georgia itself which, at this writing, threatens to become a full-on occupation. has condemned the Russian invasion and is pushing among its talking points, "This isn't 1968." which misses the hypocrisy of this administration, who, unprovoked, invaded a sovereign nation and has occupied it since, Russia about anything. The invasion of Iraq has undermined this country's moral authority to the point where such proclamations ring sadly hollow, as the Georgians are discovering that, despite lofty claims of friendship, they are on their own. Even if we *wanted* to help--to get into a shooting war with Russia--we don't have the capability because this president has committed most of our military to the futile and purposeless Iraq quagmire. President Bush sent a stern warning to Russia on Saturday that it cannot lay claim to two breakaway provinces in Georgia.

Meanwhile, Poland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United States to develop and deploy elements of a ballistic missile defense system on its territory, for the ostensible purpose of deterring and if necessary defeating an Iranian missile attack against European NATO states. Russia for its part has insisted that any such missile defense system is directed against itself, and therefore inherently destabilizing. (Daily Standard)