WARREN: Belief in Jesus Christ. Tell us about it.
OBAMA: I believe Jesus is my personal Savior, who died for my sins. It imposes a sense of obligation to think about the “least of these”, acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly. My faith gives me the confidence to try things.
WARREN: Abortion. 40 million abortions since Roe v. Wade. At what point does a baby get human rights?
OBAMA: I cannot answer that; “it is above my pay grade.” There is a moral and ethical element to this issue. Anyone who denies them is not paying attention. I am pro-choice, I believe in Roe v. Wade. Why? Because I don’t think women make these decisions easily. They agonize.
WARREN: Have you ever voted to reduce the number of abortions?
OBAMA: I support reducing late-term abortions, if there is an exception for the health of the mother. Let’s support the health care and the support services so that women can avoid unwanted pregnancies.
WARREN: Define marriage.
OBAMA: One man one woman. But historically, we’ve not had a Constitutional amendment. I am not someone who supports same-sex marriage. I support civil unions.
WARREN: What about stem cells? Would you still support embryonic stem cell research, given the breakthrough of using adult stem cell lines?
OBAMA: Noted that he supported the bill that Bush vetoed. But that if we can use adult cells, that is good. People who approach this issue and want to do embryonic stem cell research aren’t excitedly destroying embryos.
WARREN: Does evil exist? If so, what do we do with it?
OBAMA: Yes, in Darfur. On the streets. In parents who abuse their children. It is God’s task to remove evil in the world. But we can be soldiers in that task. We need to have some humility in the way we approach evil.
WARREN: Which Supreme Court justice would you not have nominated?
OBAMA: Clarence Thomas. Scalia.
WARREN: What about John Roberts?
OBAMA: I personally like him, but his votes confirm the reasons why I did not vote for him. The Supreme Court needs to guard against the encroachment of the Executive branch against that of others.
WARREN: The role of faith-based organizations. 80% of Americans say faith-based organizations do a better job at social issues. But these groups are constitutionally allowed to hire people of their political persuasion.
OBAMA: I think faith-based organizations are good. In most cases, faith-based groups are careful about how they use the funds. We do need to make sure that federal funding is not used to discriminate, only the narrowly-focused program being funded.
WARREN: We’re 19th in education, and 1st in incarcerations. Most Americans support merit pay. Do you?
OBAMA: All teachers should be paid more, but we should reward excellence.
WARREN: On taxes. Define rich: Give me a number.
OBAMA: If you make $150,000 or less as a family, you are middle class or poor. If you are making more than $250,000, you are doing very well. In the top 3-4% of this country. If we believe in good schools, good roads, etc. Then, we need to pay for these things. We cannot spend $10MM a month on a war and not pay for it. If you make less than $150K, you’ll get a tax break. If you make more than $250K, you’ll see a modest increase.