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Candidates McCain & Obama To Be Interviewed At Saddleback Church
By lighthouse
John McCain and Barack Obama have agreed to make their first ever appearance together as presidential candidates at the next Saddleback Church Civil Forum. Pastor Rick Warren has been working with them and their staffs behind the scenes for a few weeks, and last Wednesday they both committed to participate on Saturday evening, August 16th.
On July 2nd, Pastor Warren got involved directly and discovered what the candidates wanted to change: 1) They wanted a different format. 2) They wanted a broader agenda than just compassion issues. 3) They wanted him to be the only questioner, and 4) They wanted all the networks and national media to be allowed to use a live video feed from Saddleback. Pastor Warren agreed to these requests so both candidates will be at Saddleback’s Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion, Saturday, August 16, from 5 pm to 7 pm. He’ll interview each candidate for one hour. A flip of a coin has determined that Barack Obama will be interviewed first.
Both men have been friends of Pastor Warren’s since before either decided to run for president. (You don’t have to agree on everything to be friends with someone.) Both have taped video messages to our Global AIDS Summit last November. Both have supported the PEACE plan, both have written endorsements for the PEACE Coalition, and both have supported Saddleback’s effort to restore civility to civil discourse in America. During the primaries, several candidates (actually 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats) occasionally contacted Saddleback through calls, emails, and private meetings. Pastor Warren has stated that he will never endorse, nor campaign for, political candidates. Neither is it his role to give political advice. But as a pastor and a cultural observer and he does understand the unique stresses and responsibilities of public leadership, so he will try to help leaders when asked.
Most debate, town hall, and media questions tend to be about hot political issues, or attempts to play "gotcha" for partisan points. In contrast, Pastor Warren intends to ask questions about factors that have historically determined presidential effectiveness. He’ll ask about their understanding of the constitution, personal leadership convictions and style, philosophy of the role of government, America’s role in the world, competence and character issues. They certainly won’t be softball questions.
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