So, the
Illinois Leader's coverage of Obama and Keyes at Benedictine was more favorable to Obama than the
Daily Herald's. There's a wistfulness to the Illinois Leader story by Keyes' former campaign staffer.
For instance even their take on the number of people attending is different:
Daily Herald:
Obama spoke to about 1,200 students at the university's Rice Center. Benedictine officials estimated Obama drew about 300 more people than Keyes' speech on Monday.
The Leader:
On Monday, Republican candidate Alan Keyes, a staunch Catholic who has centered his campaign on moral issues such as abortion and homosexuality, addressed about 450 students in the school's Rice Center. ...
On Tuesday, ... Obama drew in an enthusastic crowd of over a thousand ...
And in the Leader's photo caption:
At the Benedictine University's two day forum, Barack Obama's audience on Tuesday was almost twice the size of the Monday's audience for Alan Keyes.
The Leader's wistfulness:
[Keyes] was politely received by students and faculty, and at the end, three students stood during the applause.
. . .
Obama drew in an enthusastic crowd of over a thousand, many who stood to their feet several times in response to the state senator's remarks.
And the two takes on the abortion debate, from the Daily-Herald:
Obama also found himself having to defend his support of abortion and gay rights from a trio of questioners, at least one of whom was passing out Keyes pamphlets. Obama told the questioners that he understands their moral arguments against abortion but disagrees, supporting abortion rights.
from the Leader:
Confronted by pro-life protestors concerning three votes he cast in the state senate opposing the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, Obama said that the bill was unnecessary in Illinois and was introduced for political reasons.
Obama said there was no documentation that hospitals were actually doing what was alleged in testimony presented before him in committee.
He also told the questioner that the decision concerning a baby should be left to a woman, but that he does not see himself as supportive of abortion.
"No one is pro-abortion and I do not sanction infanticide," Obama said. "We're going to disagree on this difficult moral dilemma, and I respect your opinion, but I don't believe it is appropriate for me to make that decision as a lawmaker for a woman."
The crowd broke into thunderous applause.
Perhaps even Fran Eaton is getting sucked into Obamania.
