U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama and his Republican rival John McCain will appear together at a forum Saturday night in Saddleback, California.
Before an audience of 20,000 at Saddleback's mega-church in Southern California, the two candidates are expected to face tough questions on personal values, presidential leadership and international affairs.
The Rev. Rick Warren, author of the best-seller "The Purpose-Driven Life," will spend an hour interviewing each candidate.
Warren said he won't play the role of a political pundit or ask "gotcha" questions, but rather tackle four areas of interest: the role of the presidency in government, leadership, the candidates' worldviews and America's role internationally.
It will be the last time the two candidates share the same stage before their parties' conventions. Three debates between the two are scheduled after the conventions.
The stakes will be especially high for McCain, who has made a strong appeal this year to social conservatives and evangelical Christians.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, taken July 27-29, showed that among white, born-again or evangelical voters, 67 percent are for McCain, with 24 percent for Obama.
Although it's a strong showing for McCain, he's lagging 11 percentage points behind President George W. Bush in the 2004 election.
Meanwhile, Obama's positions in favor of abortion rights and same-sex civil unions also have created tension among evangelical voters otherwise drawn to his candidacy.
But the Democrat, who is Christian, has made it a point to discuss his religion on the trail this year and launched an ambitious outreach effort targeting these voters, including private summits with pastors and a major campaign aimed at young evangelicals.
Source:Xinhua
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