Even though McCain seemed to come out on top at the end of the evening, the nature of the two candidates' responses to the interview frame what is a central issue in this presidential election. Are the answers to the questions that our nation must face in the coming years simple or complex?

Simple answers are easier to digest. Something in me wants the answers to the big questions of life to be simple. If the answers are simple, things don't seem so overwhelming. Much of the success of the evangelical Christian movement, of which Rick Warren is a part, has been a result of its ability to take easily definable positions on and to give simple answers to the complex questions of life. It's no surprise that last night's audience responded more enthusiastically to McCain.

McCain believes that evil exists, can be easily identified, and defeated. Obama agrees that evil exists, but reminds us that much evil has been done in the name of eradicating evil, and implies that we must carefully consider how to respond to evil each time we face it.

McCain's position is appealing, but it doesn't square with real life. For example, sexual molestation of children is evil, but most child molesters were childhood victims of another child molester. How do you stop the cycle? Can anyone offer a simple answer to that question?

McCain "knows" that "life" begins at conception. Obama, unquestionably a brilliant man, says he doesn't know exactly when "life" begins, but believes we should figure out how to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. McCain's clear answer on when life begins and his anti-abortion position drew applause from the evangelical audience, but a good follow-up question would have been, "Why does the Republican party do so little to help non-aborted children born into environments surrounded by poverty and crime?" Or, "Give us a simple answer on how to guide such children away from the gates of Hell?" Or, "Why do you have such a concern for honoring life at conception, but little hesitancy to send young soldiers to die in a war based on false premises?" Or, "If all of human life is so precious to you, why does our government led by your party fail to even count Iraqi deaths in the current war?"

A key question in this election is, "How much are we willing to really think through the issues?" "Are we willing to grapple with complex questions, or will we once again opt out for the simple answers that help us feel that life is not so hard after all?" I hope our country will choose Obama, and in so doing, opt for the excitement of real progress in facing global warming, addressing health care issues, becoming energy independent, regaining respect from our allies around the world, and making peace with our enemies over the excitement of one-liner answers crafted to generate applause.

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