The truth is, each man took a calculated risk — or a courageous stand, depending on one's view. To say "yes" would have been to betray evangelical Christian voters, 73 percent of whom believe that human beings were created in their present form in the last 10,000 years or so.
To these folks, "no" didn't mean anti-science; it meant pro-God and conveyed a transcendent, non-materialistic view of the world. To secular Darwinists, "no" meant either ignorance or pandering to the ignorant — most likely both....
The debate question was fundamentally a setup for ridicule. No one was served, and no one, alas, is the wiser.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Columnist Writes On Evolution Responses In Republican TV Debate
Syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker has an interesting column today on the exchange in this month's Republican presidential debate over evolution. In the debate, journalist Jim VandeHei asked whether any of the candidates did not believe in evolution-- three raised their hands. John McCain, to whom the question was first addressed, had a chance to be more nuanced. Parker says:
