Individually, Barack Obama and John McCain sat down last Saturday night with author Rick Warren in what was called a “Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion” at Pastor Warren’s 22,000-seat church in Lake Forest (That’s California not Baldwin County).

During the days preceding the event, Warren said he would “be addressing pressing issues that are bridging divides in our nation, such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate and human rights.”

That list was a concern to many in the McCain campaign, as it appeared made to order for the very liberal first-term senator en-route to Denver and the Democrat party presidential nomination.

Here is some background about the forum for you:

Interestingly, the idea for the forum did not originate with Warren or his Saddleback Church. Rather, the idea came from the liberal social justice group, Faith in Public Life, the event’s other co-sponsor. Pressed with questions, Warren insisted that he and the questions he planned to ask would not be influenced by Meg Riley, Faith in Public Life board president, or the groups other board members, which “include other theological liberals, among them pro-abortion Muslim and Jewish leaders.” Riley, a Unitarian Universalist minister, previously ran the denomination’s homosexual advocacy office. So, it’s understandable that many thought McCain might be walking into a trap given the issue list, etc.

But, in general, Warren was faithful to his pre-forum word and handled his role as moderator well. In fact, we now have a case for the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates that, in lieu of national news anchors, we install individuals like Warren as moderators.

Obama, won the off-camera coin flip, went first and handled himself, like the individual we have seen on the stump during the Democrat party primaries and since.

McCain handled himself, well; he was sharp, to the point and energetic. In fact, one had the sense that, for those keeping score, McCain clearly won the night.

Watching the talking heads on the post-forum analysis shows, we found the liberal party spinners working overtime to put the best shine on the interaction their standard bearer had with the moderator. Media reports picked up the spin describing Obama as “offering more nuanced and analytical answers on some issues.”

That’s one way to describe Obama’s manner of answering the questions. Another would be unlike and often the opposite of McCain’s manner of answering, which was consistently direct. As a result, Warren noted that the extra time meant he could ask extra questions of McCain. That also tells us something as well about Obama’s answers. John McCain’s sure-footed performance was impressive.

Prior to the forum, the race nationally was closing to an effective dead heat. Watch the post-forum polling trends this week for reflections of voters, and expect further tightening in the state-by-state contests, which are the keys to electoral victory. If the three upcoming presidential debates go anything like the forum, independents and undecided voters will break McCain’s way.

What can Barack Obama do to improve? Here’s a recommendation: Studiously watch part two of the forum video.

Richard Olivastro is a member of the National Speakers Association, president of People Dynamics and founder of Citizens For Change. He can be reached at Rich@Olivastro.net or 877-RichSpeaks.