Who Would The Candidates Have To Dinner?

CBS Evening News: Obama And McCain Answer Katie Couric's Presidential Questions

(CBS)  In November, Americans decide whether Barack Obama or John McCain becomes the 44th President of the United States. In the series "Presidential Questions," CBS News anchor Katie Couric asks questions that move the candidates well beyond the usual sound-bites. Some questions concern policy. Others are more personal. All will give you a better sense of who these men are - and what has shaped them. What follows is Couric's question and the candidates' full answers.

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Katie Couric: Who are the three people who are alive you would most like to have dinner with ... other than me? (laughter)

Barack Obama: I would love to have dinner with Nelson Mandela before he passes away. Obviously he's getting on in years. The last time I saw him he was very sharp, but he was having hearing problems, and he's getting frail. You know, sitting down with him would be something I'd enjoy doing.

Somebody I always love having a conversation with is Warren Buffet, who I talk to fairly frequently. We've become good friends. He's a good economic advisor of mine. And whenever I'm with him, what I'm always struck by is how much he enjoys what he's doing, and how unaffected he's been by his success. He's just a plain-spoken, you know, funny, he's like your favorite uncle - except worth $56 billion and really smart. So he's somebody I enjoy spending time with.

The third person that I think I'd like to spend time with, well, this is my family, but I'd like to spend time with my grandmother, who I've only seen once in the last 19 months. She's been the rock of my family. She worked very hard all of her life, and made a lot of sacrifices on my behalf. And now she can't travel. She's got osteoporosis that's very bad. She's as sharp as they come. She explained to me the other day, she said you know the problem with getting old is that you're the same person, just your body is falling apart, and it's very frustrating. And that's how she feels. And you know, spending time with her is something that's going to be a priority after the election is over.

John McCain: David Petraeus. Gen. David Petraeus is one of them. I have appreciated his leadership and his ability to inspire the young Americans, men and women who serve under him. I find him a fascinating individual.

Obviously, I think that Meg Whitman, who I admire enormously, started out with five employees 12 years ago. Now a million-and-a-half people are living off eBay. She understands the American dream for young women in America, as well as all Americans.

And of course, being a big sports nut, I would consider it a great, great pleasure to have dinner with any major league football or baseball player. You know, right now springs to mind Michael Phelps. You know, our Olympic champion. He's inspired America and a lot of young Americans to do what he's done. But any of our Olympians, I would consider it a great honor. There's a young man who grew up in Arizona and moved to New Mexico. He just won a gold medal in wrestling in the Olympics for the first time in 16 years, and his name is Henry Suhato, a young man, child of illegal immigrants who became an Olympic champion. I'd love to have dinner with him. By the way, I'd also like to have dinner with our 400-meter relay team, who dropped the baton, to tell them that we still love them.

[clovisbuford]

THE FACT THAT THE LIBERAL MEDIA IS IGNORING THIS TRUTH SPEAKS VOLUMES TO THEIR INTENTIONS TO PUSH AMERICA INTO A SOCIALIST DICTATORSHIP!
Posted by OneAmerican7 at 02:59 PM : Oct 09, 2008
errr the fact that you post in cap letters ..doesnt make you any less a loon

[clovisbuford]

--------------------
-------------MY REPLY-------------------------
C''''MON, I HEARD HER ASK JOHN MCCAIN THE SAME QUESTION, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT''''S ONLY FAIR, AND UNBIASED FOR HER TO ASK EACH CANDIDATE THE ''''SAME'''' QUESTION, --NOT------
KATIE AND JOHNNY, SITTIN'''' IN A TREE-----------------
Posted by IrishKay1 at 06:06 PM : Oct 09, 2008
mot even sure which side you represent , or indeed you opinion..but the typing in caps is rude ... thanks for your attention to this matter

[andrew_693]

macshame accused obama of wanting to bomb iran yet the only candidate who flew a plane full napalm bombs and murdered children, women and anybody else, was John Macshame. Palin accused obama of being anti american yet her husband and her supported a secessionist movement in alaska to break away from our United States because she hates the United States and what it stands for.

[rebelrepubli]

I wonder how John McCain felt while he was air-raiding villages and bombing innocent civilians in North Vietnam? Did it occur to him that he was killing fellow human beings? Did he question the moral validity of his acts? Did he not know why American flyers were treated so harshly by their captors? Does he love war? Does he love America? Who is John McCain?

[stevemccoy7]

Obama / Biden are presenting a False image of themselves and McCain / Palin to the American people.

In the end Obama / Biden will be found out.

[gippybear]

McCain is TALKING ABOUT ACORN!

Senator Stinky ain''t talkin'' about ACORN! But he WILL BE. He don''t want to, but he will be!

SwiftBoatin''! Sarah Baracuda!

[wakeup60]

"Bravo"..........great responses!!!!!! Loved the McCain and Palin dinner CHOICE..."THE POOR"! Got "that one" right on! Barack Obama "WILL" BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! THANKS TO HAVING "NO" COMPETENT COMPETITION!
GO...OBAMA...GO!!! CAN''T WAIT FOR TINA FEY''S "SNL" APPEARANCE THIS WEEK/REFRESHING AND HYSTERICAL !!! COME ON NOVEMBER! LET''S GET ON WITH IT!!!

[renonv5]

I can''t believe Katie Couric asks such lame questions.
Does she come up with this on her own, or do they tell her what to ask?

[renonv5]

I can''t believe Katie Couric asks such lame questions.
Does she come up with this on her own, or do they tell her what to ask?

[redbds]

With stupid questions like this, it''''s no wonder why Katie Couric has the worst ratings on nightly news.

Posted by Lola939 at 09:51 AM : Oct 09, 2008

Ask a stupid question and get a stupid answer. Both answers sucked. Obama listed three people that he has already had dinner with. McCain listed two that he has already had dinner with and Phelps. At least he would have one new experience.

[harbinger09]

I''m surprised McCain did not say Gordon Liddy--Gordon is McCain''s own terrorist pal--seems like he would want to keep in touch with such a good friend, LMAO

Sarah Palin and John McCain have a terrorist pal. His name is Gordon Liddy. Liddy is a convicted felon who admitting to planning to bomb federal buildings and kill if necessary. McCain and Palin love Liddy so much, Palin tried to hire him as a spokesperson for Alaska and McCain has appeared several times on Liddy''''s talk shows--but that is all okay. It''''s only the other guy''''s terrorist connections that matter, right? LOL

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections
/Palin_tried_to_hire_Terrorist_Gordon_Li
ddy_as_spokesperson

[markbrandusa]

Too bad they didn''t invite each other to dinner. One can only hope.

After the Palin interview, I am giving Katie my 60 Minutes seal of approval and worth watching. Compare it to Hannity''s "tough talking interview" with Palin. Wasn''t too big on Katie in the beginning, but it feels like she is engaging her subject on the public''s behalf. This is what the media is supposed to do.

[markinga7]

We already know who Bush/McCain have FOR dinner: the poor.

With stupid questions like this, it''s no wonder why Katie Couric has the worst ratings on nightly news.

[abbe91]

"I''''m sure he would love to have had Castro and Hitler
Posted by mdwoman at 10:40 PM : Oct 08, 2008"

Hitler ? You mean Prescott Bush granddad''s very good friend, who made the whealth of the Bush family ?
The guy who got in power in Germany thanks to an "Enabling Act", very similar to the infamous "Patriot Act", after the Reichstag fire the nazis are suspected to have provoked, very similar to 9/11 ? This guy ?

[dburfears]

McCain should have dinner with his first wife instead of his new mistress. But that would be out of character.

Cindy CHEATED with JOHN McSHAME while JOHN WAS STILL MARRIED TO HIS FIRST (and FAITHFUL) WIFE. She is a CHEAP HOME WRECKER.

Every American needs to know the story of McSHAME''s REPEATED infidelities against his first wife. AFTER his first wife was INJURED IN A CAR ACCIDENT, McSHAME treated her like cr*p, having adulterous affairs with multiple women. Then Cindy became his adulterous lover while John McSHAME was still married. McShame married this rich money-pump- a perfect match for his political ambitions.

This happened in McSHAME''s 30''s, when he had a 10 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER with his first wife. McSHAME is a fraud. He cannot take care of his own family, let alone our country. Cindy is an adulterer and home wrecker.

McSHAME''s SLEAZE is a horrible indictment against his judgment and ability to lead this country.

Every woman and responsible man should know the REAL McSHAME STORY: Poor Officer, despicable husband, absentee father, Navy troublemaker, and liar.

This couple is certainly no "FAMILY VALUES" example. Just hypocrites being supported by hypocrites who claim they are the "family values" party.

[misha128-2009]

In America, we can''''''''t choose our family, but we can choose our friends.

Barack Obama chose to be friends with an unrepentant terrorist.

...

Posted by john43218 at 10:32 PM

John McCain admitted to having a similar relatationship to Ayers -- next diversion please or can we return to discussing important issues and / or the inability to learn from personal experiences like the Keating Five which surprisingly also had economic impacts.

[goldenqn]

63 Nobel Prize winners endorse Obama. 0 for McCain.

McCain/Fey - Anti-Intellectualism

http://sefora.org/2008/10/08/2008-chemistry-nobelist-endorses-obama-bringing-the-number-to-63/

[missingamerica]

John and Cindy McCain should have her son, Jimmy, over for dinner.

Then they can explain to Jimmy why it was a bad thing for Obama to vote against a funding bill for Iraq.

And then, of course, Cindy and John can explain to Jimmy why it was a GOOD thing for John to vote "NO" on a funding bill for Iraq.

You see, it just does not seem very appropriate to me for a mummy to criticize someone else''s "No" vote but remain mum on her hubby''s "No" vote.

Especially when the motivation behind McCain''s "NO" vote was THAT funding bill included a time table for withdrawal from Iraq.

It is very sad to look at the two "NO" votes, and have no choice other than to conclude that putting a stop to the endless trips Jimmy and our other sons and daughters must spend as tin ducks riding around and around and around the carnival shooting gallery that is Iraq is a bad thing in his mother''s eyes.