July 21, 2008
Posted: 12:48 PM ET
Obama will attend the UNITY event.
Obama will attend the UNITY event.

(CNN) – Barack Obama will speak before a major gathering of journalists in Chicago this Sunday, likely the Illinois senator's first national appearance upon returning from his trip abroad.

The event, sponsored by an alliance of minority journalists called UNITY, will be broadcast live on CNN Sunday morning. The gathering's organizers also extended an invitation to John McCain.

"We are pleased that our UNITY colleagues will have the chance to hear from Sen. Obama and be among the first to question him upon his return from his overseas trip," Karen Lincoln Michel, UNITY president, said in a statement. "We hope that in this historic campaign, Sen. McCain, whose presence is equally important, will also address our audience - the kind of audience that reflects the growing diversity in America."

UNITY says it represents nearly 10,000 members of the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Native American Journalists Association.

Filed under: Barack Obama • John McCain


CNN = Jerry Springer of news   July 21st, 2008 5:35 pm ET

Lisa-Fl. July 21st, 2008 4:04 pm ET

No to Unity. We didn't pick him as our nominee. The DNC did. We want Hillary.
————————————————-
Lisa,
Do you only read the lame titles CNN posts for their abridged articles for the ticker? This discussion is not about party unity, it is about Obama speaking to a group of minority journalists.

The primaries are over, so quit trying to look for Obama - Hillary articles to talk about how unfair the media and DNC are. Please move on…

Hyapathia Lee   July 21st, 2008 5:34 pm ET

O'Reily will tear Obama a new one? What are you smokin?

This is EXACTLY what I'd expect from an "Anonymous" poster on July 21st, 2008 4:58 pm ET

- - - - - - - - - -
O'Reilly will tear NOBAMA a new one. I hope he DOES accept. He's probably to chicken to show up anywhere he can't look like a rock star. PUKE.
- - - - - - - - - -

Remove your boy Bill from the safety of his studio thereby taking away his ability to YELL over the top of the other person while they are speaking and beloved O"Reilly will sit there like a polite lap dog.

In a civil, intellectual debate … I'll take Obama…

kayla   July 21st, 2008 5:28 pm ET

notfallinglnline.org. if Sen Obama is all talk, then mcsame is all whinning. once a man twice a child. that is mcsame. boring and old

JoJo   July 21st, 2008 5:21 pm ET

Hey Marie I wish we could all just be Americans too but the country was built on racial divide where we were not all created equal according to our social standards. Hopefully we will chip away at that mind-set more and more as time goes on but for now it still exists. Obama really brings hope for that regardless what anyone says.

Democrats Unify & Vote Big   July 21st, 2008 5:16 pm ET

Unity sounds like a very diversified organization. Should be an important event.

Deb, Allentown, PA   July 21st, 2008 5:15 pm ET

Lisa-FL and you other PUMA members, please pay attention. Read slowly.

The Clinton and Obama campaigns agreed, prior to the Florida and Michigan primaries, that if those two states went ahead and moved up their primaries, they would be disenfranchised and their votes would not count. Both campaigns SIGNED OFF ON IT. Then, when Hillary started to fall behind to Obama in delegates, suddenly the rules changed. That's not fair.

Obama did not steal the election; the DNC did not give him the election. I will admit, that the only fair way to have gotten a true result would have been for both states to have a run-off, with BOTH candidates on the ballot. But, obviously that didn't happen. However, you cannot change the fact that the rules of the game were agreed to long before the primaries occurred.

I would vote for Hillary if she were the nominee, and if you are a true Democrat and can get over your anger, you will vote for Obama as the nominee. A vote for McCain is a slap in the face to your candidate. There is no chance she will be McCain's VP, nor his Attorney General, nor his health care guru (after all, remember, he hates HillaryCare). In an Obama administration, she has a chance to do some good and position herself for a run at the presidency in 8 years. All you're doing is shooting yourself, AND YOUR CANDIDATE, in the foot. What purpose does that serve???

floridian   July 21st, 2008 5:08 pm ET

Let's see, we have a large membership in the UNITY group which is not considered racist. Great! Now, I wonder if I could organize a large group of non-minority journalists with a name like, umm, how about WHITEY?

Denise Groves   July 21st, 2008 5:07 pm ET

He will be dynamic, no matter what he says!

Janet WV for Obama   July 21st, 2008 5:07 pm ET

@ the "Why didn't anybody ask Hillary crowd", Newsflash! The primaries are over! We are now proceeding to the general election. The Democratic nominee for president is BARACK OBAMA and the Republican nominee is JOHN MCCAIN. Hillary was not invited because she is NOT the nominee.

http://www.NotFallingInLine.org   July 21st, 2008 5:02 pm ET

Obama is all talk: flowery rhetoric and empty promises.

Says one thing today, and the opposite the next.

www.NotFallingInLine.org   July 21st, 2008 5:01 pm ET

Obama is all talk: flowery rhetoric and empty promises.

anonymous   July 21st, 2008 4:58 pm ET

O'Reilly will tear NOBAMA a new one. I hope he DOES accept. He's probably to chicken to show up anywhere he can't look like a rock star. PUKE.

ali   July 21st, 2008 4:55 pm ET

get ready for the mccain hecklers.

Nia Hussein- Phoenix, AZ   July 21st, 2008 4:55 pm ET

Are the Hill-Billy's going to be there with PUMA and the like in tow?

Typical White Person   July 21st, 2008 4:55 pm ET

SNL needs to do another skit on the media obsession with Obama. This 24/7 coverage of every bead of sweat (or lack thereof) is past the point of obsurd and fast approaching unethical.

Mike, TX   July 21st, 2008 4:53 pm ET

Obama is the Rodney King of American politics (sorry Rodney).

Lesley   July 21st, 2008 4:45 pm ET

I hope that Obama accepts the invitation of an interview with Bill O'Reilly. I would like to have an end to the conservative tirade once and for all. At least O'Reilly is willing to talk to him before trashing him and will be objective albeit harsher in his approach.

B.Hawkins   July 21st, 2008 4:45 pm ET

Why didn't anybody ask Hillary?

freddy   July 21st, 2008 4:45 pm ET

More lies comming from the man who is nothing. I can't believe that people buy his rhetoric and double talk. I don't understand why people think he is the second comming. There is nothing to this man…except that his intentions are to destroy America and it's people.

Wake up America. Vote Hillary. She is the only one that can change anything.

Otherwise I hope that you enjoy you comfortable life now 'cause with Obama in office it will go away and you'll be forever praying for the last eight years.

Marie in California   July 21st, 2008 4:42 pm ET

Okay. Will we ever get to a point where there are just plain old Americans again?

Speaking to a generic "you"…..I am really offended by all this hyphenated stuff and I find it to be very socially divisive and an impediment to national unity. If you want to keep your Asian, Hispanic, Nordic, Black, British or whatever your background or tilt, if you want to be separatist, then stay there instead of here, in the UNITED States.

And, when the ethnic or social descriptor is placed BEFORE "American" when you define yourself…..well, personally I find that to be very anti-American and belittling to the overall inclusive spirit of this country.

Personally, I could probably hyphenate myself in dozens of ways if I were to go that route. European-American, Caucasian-American, California-American, Ph.D.-American, Married-American, Professional-American, etc. etc. ad infinitum.

As it is, I prefer to just be "an American."

CLINTON 08 VP   July 21st, 2008 4:42 pm ET

McGRAMPS BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR WHINING *PLEASE*, DON'T FORGET TAKE YOUR PRESCRIBED MEDS…

UNITED WE'RE STRONGER

OBAMA (P) & CLINTON (VP) 2008-2014

NO TO "BUSH II", "McWAR", "BUSH'S-INTENT-FOR-2ND-PARADE-IN-IRAQ"

PG   July 21st, 2008 4:41 pm ET

McCain should be there he might just learn something!

LATINOS FOR OBAMA 2008!

Venus   July 21st, 2008 4:41 pm ET

YES!

See — this is how you do it! You gotta make your news baby!

Go Bam!

On_fiayah   July 21st, 2008 4:39 pm ET

Please Lisa-Fla, the DNC aren't responsible for Obama being the nominee, the American people who are over the dynasty approach were the ones responible. So please lady get over it already, matter of fact –how about you gather this angry support to help "Your Hillary" with the 25+million dollars she needs.

Thanks Lisa for keeping in mind the rights of the Voters even Hillary may have forgotten about. She's not the girl. Sorry for the reality check hun.

THINK AMERICA   July 21st, 2008 4:28 pm ET

I LIKE THAT "HE DOESNT WORK ON WEEKENDS" LOL

Pater servius, Ft. Myers   July 21st, 2008 4:25 pm ET

How many different ethnic journalist groups do we really need?

I'm so glad neither candidate panders to special interest groups.

Joe   July 21st, 2008 4:25 pm ET

Yes, we want to hear him. Listen to McCain camp start whining….1,2,3

Bulldog   July 21st, 2008 4:23 pm ET

McCain wanted to go to war with Iraq since 1998 and pushed for the Bush war all along and he also helped push the faulty intelligence that got us into this mess. Now all he talks about is the surge. Look it up.

McCain has been wrong all along and cannot even define what an Iraq victory is. All he can say is we are succeeding. How? Because less American soldiers are dying? That's not succeeding. Look at how low McCain has set the bar. As long as only a couple of soldiers die a month we are succeeding according to McCain.

jen   July 21st, 2008 4:23 pm ET

Will McCain get time and a half if he joins Obama and works that Sunday.

Vig   July 21st, 2008 4:20 pm ET

The Obama machine just keeps rolling along. I suspect this country will have to endure more of these grandstanding trips, speeches, appearances as the media keeps blowing Obama wind in our faces. Hillary Clinton should be in the White House not the sugar plum fairy.

ECHO!!!1   July 21st, 2008 4:15 pm ET

CNN) – Barack Obama will speak before a major gathering of journalists in Chicago this Sunday, likely the Illinois senator's first national appearance upon returning from his trip abroad.
The gathering's organizers also extended an invitation to John McCain

ECHO!!!!!

Nina DePonca   July 21st, 2008 4:15 pm ET

McCain … here is your 1st Town Hall … Set up by an indepedant organization …. will you have the GUTS to appear?

Remember, these will be knowlegible questioners so you won't be able to obfuscate like you normally do. Are you still sure you want to show up?

Tina   July 21st, 2008 4:11 pm ET

McBush doesn't want to speak at the same event as Obama.

Obama speaking

*(applause)*

McCain speaking
*(zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)*

Lisa-Fl.   July 21st, 2008 4:04 pm ET

No to Unity. We didn't pick him as our nominee. The DNC did. We want Hillary.

not an obamabot, thank GOD   July 21st, 2008 4:02 pm ET

well roll out the red carpet for our lord and saviors second comming.

Democrat for Life   July 21st, 2008 4:02 pm ET

Way to go democrats!!! Victory is around the corner.

Obama '08

VON BISMARK, Vienna   July 21st, 2008 4:02 pm ET

The setting is too sensitive for mcWAR.He will excel with his absence.

Ula Nejad- Sacramento Ca   July 21st, 2008 4:01 pm ET

Oooo…can't wait to hear or read what he has to say when Obama returns. He missed a golden opportunity to address the timeline…hahahaha….all that high education makes me wonder if nothing is like good old common sense. What a shame.

Hypocrisy....oops there it is   July 21st, 2008 4:01 pm ET

Why does Capt. Smash continue to refer Sen. McCain in derogatory terms?

We are a "nation of whiners" in a "mental recession".   July 21st, 2008 4:00 pm ET

Don't count on McCain to be there!!! He will be too busy discrediting Barack's trip.

rachel   July 21st, 2008 3:59 pm ET

Another speech.

Capt. Smash, Salt Lake City, Utah   July 21st, 2008 3:56 pm ET

Time for the McWar camp to criticize and complain!

Abby   July 21st, 2008 3:54 pm ET

Of course they didn’t hear back from McCain… He doesn’t work on Sundays! I hope the red phone never rings on the weekend if God forbid he were to be president. Well, I hope the red phone never rings period on anyone’s watch. But I want someone with stamina, endurance, good judgment and a clear mind near that phone…not a groggy and confused man who continues to site countries and boarders that do not exist.

Obama for Peace and Prosperity in America 08 !

Kristen   July 21st, 2008 3:54 pm ET

Obama should come speak in Philly this summer.

FROM THE FUTURE   July 21st, 2008 3:52 pm ET

Obama will win all 50 states.
The future will be better.

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