Obama and McCain coming to Saddleback Church

It has taken a man of God, perhaps, to do what nobody else has been able to do since the general election season began: Get Barack Obama and John McCain together on the same stage before their party conventions later this summer.
The Rev. Rick Warren has persuaded the candidates to attend a Civil Forum at his Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, Calif., on Aug. 16. In an interview, Mr. Warren said that the presidential candidates would appear together for a moment but that he would interview them in succession at his megachurch.
The forum still falls short of the kind of face-to-face, town-hall-style debates that Mr. McCain, of Arizona, has called for this summer before formal debates scheduled for this fall.
Mr. Warren, the author of the best-selling book "The Purpose-Driven Life," called each man personally to invite him to his event, which will focus on leadership, how they make decisions, and on some of Mr. Warren's areas of focus, like AIDS, poverty and the environment.

"I realized that these two guys had never been together on the same stage and thought it would be a great way to end the primary season before they both go to their conventions and things go dark for a couple of weeks," he said. "I've known both guys for some time, and both have been friends of mine since before they ran for office, so I just decided to invite them.." Both readily agreed, perhaps reflecting how each candidate is courting the evangelical audience to whom Mr. Warren ministers.
Mr. Warren's event will have as a co-sponsor Faith in Public Life, that held the Compassion Forum at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., in April, featuring Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania ,Mr. Warren said he would devise his questions with input from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders.
"I'm not going to ambush them with 'gotcha' questions," Mr. Warren said, adding that a typical query might be, "What's the most difficult decision you've had to make, and what process did you use to make it?"
Mr. Warren said he would have Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama, of Illinois, appear on stage together momentarily at the event, though, he added, he would also see if they want to get a little personal time behind the scenes.