McCain, Obama to share stage
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/21/art.split.gi.jpg caption="McCain and Obama will share the same stage."](CNN) - John McCain and Barack Obama will share a stage next month, shortly before officially claiming their parties’ presidential nominations.
Both men will appear at a forum at Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church August 16 – and briefly appear on stage together before being interviewed separately by the “Purpose-Driven Life” author.
“This is a critical time for our nation and the American people deserve to hear both candidates speak from the heart – without interruption – in a civil and thoughtful format absent the partisan ‘gotcha’ questions that typically produce heat instead of light,” said Warren in a statement released Monday.
He added that he viewed both men as friends, but “they also know I will be raising questions… beyond what political reporters typically ask,” including issues like climate change, human rights, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
The Saddlebrook forum will be co-sponsored by Faith in Public Life, which co-organized a similar event with CNN at Messiah College in advance of the Pennsylvania primary.
Barack Obama’s campaign has made an ambitious effort – unprecedented from a Democratic White House hopeful - to reach religious voters this campaign cycle. "Senator Obama has consistently been one of our nation's leaders in addressing the role of faith in his own life and the lives of the American people,” said Josh Dubois, National Director of Religious Affairs for the Obama campaign. “He's looking forward to going back to Saddleback with his good friend Pastor Rick Warren - where he already spoke in 2006 - to talk about the role of values in solving some of our nation's most pressing challenges, and what all Americans can do to bridge religious divides and move our country forward.”
John McCain – whose campaign has worked hard to hold on to conservative Christians who typically vote Republican – got a major boost Sunday with the news that long-time critic James Dobson of Focus on the Family was weighing an endorsement of the presumptive Republican nominee.
“John McCain has a strong record of working on the issues that are important with pro-family voters,” said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds of the Arizona senator’s decision to participate in the August forum. “Our campaign is working diligently to build even greater support for Senator McCain’s message of reform, prosperity and peace – so we are encouraged by signals of additional supporters and new venues for our conversation with voters.”
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John's discomfort in this setting as compared to Obama will be clear.
It will be nice to see them together, but I think we need more separation of Church and State...
Same as there is secular public discourse and popular debate, I think that this more ecclastical relm is also a key constituincy.
The name of the church is Saddleback, not Saddlebrook
John McCain "got a major boost," ( according to this CNN writer), from a possible endorsement by a hate monger, who calls himself Christian? Not only does this reflect on the ugliness of McCain, but on the bias of CNN. Who could ever refer to such an endorsement as "a boost?"
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.
Yupik1 July 21st, 2008 4:08 pm ET
Where's McCain's flag pin?
Good catch. OMG, McCain's a Muslim Terrorist!!! How unpatriotic! He hates America!
What incredible stupidity that a piece of metal can dictate your patriotism.
GRAMPA MCCAIN, CAN YOU READ ME A BEDTIME STORY INSTEAD?
UNITED WE'RE STRONGER
OBAMA (P) & CLINTON (VP) 2008-2014
NO TO "BUSH II" (MCCAIN), McWAR, "BUSH'S-INTENT-FOR-2ND-PARADE-IN-IRAQ"
baa so libertarian and libertine anarchy! Breathe in and exhale the subterfuge not of healthy skepticism, but of misguided cynicism nihilsm and scatter shot relativity.
well this should be interesting.
This time, Hussein won't have a carefully scripted speech to read from, filled with mindless blather that we've all heard a hundred times before, about how awful the USA has become, and how we have to change.... blah blah blah and yakkity yak.... a fist bump here, NO solutions there, and flip-flopping on positions everywhere.... Hopefully, McCain will take advantage of this opportunity to expose Hussein for the lying, pandering phony that he is now and always has been.
Good deal. Kudos to the Pastor for wanting to ask real questions of substance...unlike the soap opera, jibberish that ABC and other networks ask during other debates. ABC had the worst debate ever and I will never ever watch them again.
McCain reminds me of the tin man. He is so stiff, can he even bend?
Lana @ 4:08 pm ET
I'm too much of a stalwart Democrat to say "Obama = 2nd Carter term," so I won't.
Midgea NFIL
Napoleon was quoted as saying that, "God always favors the big battalions.". In light of Obama's fund raising success we may need to change that to "God always favors the big bucks".
SO MCCAIN IS ACTUALLY GOING TO WORK TO GET MY VOTE ON THE WEEKEND. OH NO MIGHT I VOTE FOR HIM INSTEAD OF OBAMA WHO HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY FOR MY VOTE. WHO HAS BEEN RIGHT ON ALL RECENT FORIEGN POLICY ISSUES. WHO ECONOMIC PLAN DOESN'T CALL ME A WHINNER AND IN A MENTAL RECESSION. WHO DOESN'T THINK AN ATTACK IS GOOD FOR HIS CAMPAIGN. WHO THINKS ITS IMPORTANT WHEN OUR TROOPS COME HOME. WHO KNOW THAT THE CHECH REPUBLIC HAS BEEN GONE FOR 15 YR. WHO KNOW THE DIFFERNCE BETWEEN SUNI AND SHI'A. WHO DOESN'T MAKE THE FACE WHEN ASKED IF VIAGRA IS AS IMPORTANT AS BIRTH CONTROL. YEAH I'M THINKING OF MCSAME.......NOT
OBAMA 08/12
I'm looking forward to this. Something outside of the usual media interview that is either pro one side or the other. I don't believe that McCain is capable of participating in a civil and thoughtful format. He is constantly in attack mode and I think that given a microphone he will do just that, but one can always hope.
The world of media is talking about an Obama gaffe and it was Mccain today who again made another gaffe in the area inwhich he supposed to have experience foriegn policy. Mccain said today on the Morning show, the border of Iraq and Pakistan. Iraq doesn't border Pakistan, its Afganistan. As much as Obama mentioned Afganistan and Pakistan who would think Mccain would have picked it up. Mccain didn't correct himself. This is how the media is biased. Its a media hunt for an Obama gaffe abroad while Mccain is dishing out gaffes left and right here at home. Obama is definately the person to lead this country in the 21 centurty. OBAMA 08
It should be interesting. Honestly, I don't think I've witnessed a campaign between two so different candidates. During my lifetime I've voted Republican almost as often as for a Democrat, but these two defy any historical perspective in more than just the obvious!
I'm not a McCain supporter but neither do I fall blindly behind Obama, however Obama does offer a sense of promise and progress for the future.
McCain, the poor guy, is a walking advertisement for the healthcare industry and the need for managed care! He's pushing old ideas, failed policies....sounds like a rerun of shows from the 50's...somewhat entertaining but not relevant to today!
Obama will do anything to get his mug before a camera. He's so in love with himself. Maybe he should go campaign in Africa.
Great!! I'm looking forward to this one. Hope that we can really see and hear the real persons and not the precooked robots we've seen up till now on the TV in different "debates".
**
Why doesn't John McWeekender wear a FLAG PIN...???
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Hillary please help us.
Hey Vig – please get therapy, you need it. Don't you just hate the fact that you can't blame her mismanaged campaign and debt on Barack? She couldn't even run her campaign and yet you want her to run your country? Please get help.
Obama has McCain right where he want him now is time to crush the Warmonger.
Obama 2008
Where have you been 'Don' ... McCain had cancer surgery on the left side.