[Unidentified Male:] You have visited churches and synagogues. When will you or is it in the plans for you to visit a mosque.
[Sen. Barack Obama , Presumptive Presidential Nominee:] I have to say, this is a classic example of a no-win situation, right? If you were a Muslim and somebody consistently said you were a Christian, I suspect that you would want to have that corrected.
[Lemon:] That was Senator Barack Obama earlier today for an audience of minority journalists. Now, with his high-profile overseas trip behind him and just 100 days left until Election Day, he's going to be facing a lot more questions like that. CNN political editor Mark Preston joins me now for "Preston on Politics." That's a tough question but he's going to face some tougher questions than that to come.
[Mark Preston, Cnn Political Editor:] Yes. I mean, there's no question about it. Look, there's only 100 days left, you know. In addition to Barack Obama having to really try to convince the American public that he has the foreign policy credits, that he knows what to do on domestic issues, he is still going to have to answer the question about race, Don. Is he black enough? Is he not black enough? That, you know, when is he going to go to a mosque? So, really, he faces a number of challenges that no other presidential nominee, at least in my time frame, has ever had to deal with.
[Lemon:] Interesting, because I remember going to the same convention last year in Las Vegas and filing a report on is he black enough? And that question, he is still being dogged by that question. We'll talk about that a little bit more in the weeks to come. But I want to ask you about this. We all know that he just got back from this lengthy trip overseas, Mark. And Senator McCain criticized Obama while he was there. I want you to listen to a new McCain ad and then I want you to respond to it. Take a listen.
[Unidentified Male Narrator:] And now, he made time to go to the gym but canceled the visit with wounded troops. Seems that Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. John McCain is always there for our troops. McCain, country first.
[Voice Of John Mccain:] I'm John McCain and I approved this message.
[Lemon:] You know when I saw that for the first time, I thought it was like a spoof almost. When just listening to it seriously. But it is a serious ad and many people are looking at it, you know, in that manner. In that matter, a serious fashion.
[Preston:] Absolutely. And what John McCain is running on this national security platform. Look, he's the guy who was a P.O.W. He's the guy who has served in the Armed Forces. That's not what Barack Obama has done. And John McCain is really trying to hammer home that he's the guy that should lead America and he is the guy to be the commander-in-chief. And what he's trying to do with that ad is he's trying to really touch a I think part of the Republican base that might be sleeping right now to say, look, we need to get behind John McCain. That's where I think that ad was directed.
[Lemon:] OK. Good. Hey, listen, I'm getting some new information in. And we're a little pressed on time, Preston. Kind of a play on words. I could have done better than that. We're hearing Barack Obama went to the doctor for a hip X-ray. Getting new information on that?
[Preston:] Yes. And what we're hearing right now, Don, is that he had some X-rays and he said that it is a little basketball injury. You know, we've seen him play hoops, you know, whenever he goes out on the campaign trail. So, we don't exactly know what it is, but he has left the hospital and he seems fine from right now.
[Lemon:] All right. Yes, I'm getting word that he went to the University of Chicago Medical Center and there's actually video of him coming out and he shouted, "Just fine. Small X-rays. Everything is OK." We hope to get that video in. And if we get it before we end this newscast. We'll bring it to you. Mark Preston, appreciate it, sir.
[Preston:] Thanks, Don.
[Lemon:] Thank you very much. Time now for our regular visit with a group of voters who have been newly energized by this year's presidential race. Our Rick Sanchez usually sits in this seat well, he headed to Memphis and he talked with evangelical college students.
[Rick Sanchez, Cnn Anchor:] There does seem to be a movement of foot among many Christians who are saying, God gave us this planet and it's our job to be the protectors of it.
[Unidentified Male:] I think it's a great initiative because we are supposed to be stewards of the creation. So, I mean, yes, if we can take steps to take care of environment. I'm all for it.
[Sanchez:] Do you worry about global warming?
[Unidentified Male:] I don't know. Global warming is simply
[Unidentified Female:] We're supposed to be stewards of the earth. We're supposed to take care of it, and we should be taking good care of it. But we have dominion over it, too. And we need to if we can use it to our benefit, we should be using it, but we also need to take care of it. There's a happy medium.
[Unidentified Male:] Cutting down trees to print bibles. Destroying coral reefs to get a little bit more gas, not OK.
[Unidentified Female:] In terms of like drilling for a thing, I think, if it needs to be done, and then we feel like we're pushed into a corner where we can't rely on the Middle East for oil anymore. And places like Venezuela are not looking too happy either. So, we've got to find our own source.
[Sanchez:] Hydrogen.
[Unidentified Female:] Hey, I'm all for new things.
[Sanchez:] Hydrogen fuel.
[Unidentified Male:] If an efficient alternative bits and abundance supply. If we could find something like that, that would be the best, in my book.
[Sanchez:] Stem cell research.
[Unidentified Male:] The thing that bothers me about stem cell research is a lot of people act like oh, we have to take so many fetuses and wouldn't that be very synergistic with abortion and everything. It's typically different issues. With embryonic, it is often destroying fetuses and that is, if you say abortion is morally wrong, you have to say that's morally wrong, too.
[Sanchez:] Right.
[Unidentified Male:] But with adult stem cells, there's no problem with it and they work better any way because embryonic stem cells are designed to grow and adult stem cells are designed to repair.
[Sanchez:] It's interesting because as I talk to you guys, you guys are like beyond the politics. I mean, you look at the issues but you don't necessarily buy into the politics of the moment from either the left or the right.
[Unidentified Female:] Right. In the nature of politics is constantly be changing to please people. So, I can't completely put my faith and everything into politics because it's going to change tomorrow. So, I've got to stick with issues in whichever candidate in November most correctly aligns with the things that I'm convicted about, the things that I believe, that would be the one that I vote for. You can see their past experience and the things they've done in the past, and see if they really are doing what they say, then I think that you probably should look at what they do more than what they say.
[Unidentified Male:] Right. I mean, it's important and it has a big effect on you and everybody else. So, you have to try to make your best judgment. But you're human so you can't know that you are going to be right and they are human so you can't know that they are going to be perfect. So, you just have to do your best and hope they don't bite you.
[Sanchez:] So, you guys are going to call him as you see him?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Sanchez:] You're going to go with the issues and what's in your heart and what you think you see.
[Unidentified Male:] Right. It's an important decision that you possibly can and hope for the best.
[Lemon:] First time voters with CNN's Rick Sanchez. OK, I got a question for you. Two American kids held against their will at a hard-lined Muslim school? That's what a filmmaker and a congressman say, but is it true? We investigate. And a plan to post Islamic ads in the New York City Subway system causes a pure. We talked to both sides.