Civil Forum on the Presidency

{{Infobox historical event
 |Event_Name = Civil Forum on the Presidency
 |Image_Name =[[Image:Logo of the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency.jpg|300px|Logo]]
 |Image_Caption = <small>''Hosted by pastor [[Rick Warren]]''</small><small>''Venue at Saddleback Worship Center''</small>
 |AKA =
 |Participants = '''[[John McCain|John&nbsp;McCain]],'''&nbsp;'''[[Barack Obama|Barack&nbsp;Obama]]'''<br />{{center|<small>Presumptive nominees</small>}}
 |Location = [[Saddleback Church]]<br />[[Lake Forest, California|Lake Forest]], [[California]]
 |Date = August 16, 2008
 |Result =
}}

{{wikinews|McCain and Obama participate in Saddleback Church forum}}
The '''Civil Forum on the Presidency''' was the venue of back-to-back interviews of [[2008 United States presidential election|U.S. presidential candidates]] [[John McCain]] and [[Barack Obama]] by pastor [[Rick Warren]] on August 16, 2008, at [[Saddleback Church]] in [[Lake Forest, California|Lake Forest]], [[California]].

==Format==
Held inside Saddleback's Worship Center, the event was the first joint appearance of the two presidential candidates during the campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/07/mccain-and-obam.html|title=McCain and Obama agree to first Joint Appearance, and it's at a Church|access-date=2008-08-18|work=The Illinois Review|date=July 21, 2008}}</ref> It was broadcast live on national news networks, as well as several [[evangelical Christian]] networks such as [[Trinity Broadcasting Network]] and [[Daystar Television Network]]. Tickets for the sold-out event were distributed to church members by raffle for prices as high as $1,000.<ref>
{{cite news 
 |last=Barboza 
 |first=Tony 
 |title=John McCain, Barack Obama will appear together at Orange County church 
 |date=July 21, 2008 
 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] 
 |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-saddleback22-2008jul22,0,4225424.story?track=rss 
 |access-date=2008-07-23 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722194652/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-saddleback22-2008jul22%2C0%2C4225424.story?track=rss 
 |archive-date=2008-07-22 
 |url-status=dead 
 }}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saddlebackcivilforum.com/index.html|title=McCain and Obama agree to first Joint Appearance, and it's at a Church|access-date=2008-08-18|work=The Illinois Review|date=July 21, 2008|archive-date=2021-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125042611/http://saddlebackcivilforum.com/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
Both campaigns agreed to the format of the debate&mdash;two consecutive interviews&mdash;and Senator Obama went first, as determined by a coin toss.<ref name="cos"/> The coin toss was conducted by Rick Warren's staff on behalf of McCain and Obama, who were not present.<ref name="cnn_lkl_transcript">{{cite web|title='Larry King Live Interviews Rick Warren' transcript for August 18, 2008|work=Transcript|publisher=[[cnn.com]]|date=August 18, 2008|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/18/lkl.01.html}}</ref> Some groups opposed the forum, including the [[Americans United for Separation of Church and State]].<ref>[http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=10005 Voters Have Heard Enough About The Presidential Candidates And Religion, Says Americans United].</ref>

==Issues==
The candidates each exposed their positions on a number of issues, including [[faith]], [[abortion]], [[evil]], [[wealth]], [[same-sex marriage]], and [[stem-cell research]].<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-saddleback17-2008aug17,0,1227797.story?track=ntothtml|title=Barack Obama, John McCain discuss faith, issues at Saddleback Church forum|access-date=2008-08-18|date=August 17, 2008|work=The Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The two struck common themes, but differed on their views of abortion; Obama said the answer was "above his pay grade" a comment he later regretted<ref>[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26593948 NBC News]</ref> and also told Warren the issue "scientifically" and "theologically" is not a black and white one in defining the precise moment when a baby gets human rights.  McCain answered, "At the moment of conception."<ref name="latimes"/> Asked about their greatest moral failures, Obama cited his adolescent drug use while McCain said his was failing his first marriage.<ref name="latimes"/> Obama and McCain gave different answers on which justices they would have refused to nominate to the [[United States Supreme Court]],<ref name="latimes"/> McCain saying [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]], [[John Paul Stevens]], [[Stephen Breyer]] and [[David Souter]], and Obama saying [[Clarence Thomas]] and [[Antonin Scalia]].<ref name="latimes"/> The presumptive nominees presented contrasting views on the definition of rich; Warren asked, "At what point...do you move from middle class to rich?" Obama answered that rich Americans make more than $250,000, while McCain answered, "How about $5 million?"<ref name="cnn_transcript">{{cite web|title='Saddleback Civil Forum' transcript for August 17, 2008|work=Transcript|publisher=[[cnn.com]]|date=August 17, 2008|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/17/se.01.html}}</ref> When asked an issue on which they had changed their view in the last ten years, Obama said [[welfare reform]] and McCain said [[World energy resources and consumption|energy]].<ref name="latimes"/> Both candidates were alleged to have made misleading claims and exaggerations during the forum.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/154039 | title=Saddleback Bloopers | author=Brooks Jacksson | date=2008-08-18 | publisher=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref>

==Alleged cheating==
Because the questions posed to the two candidates in their separate appearances would be the same or similar, it was agreed in advance that whichever candidate went second would be sequestered so as not to hear anything asked of his rival. At the beginning of the forum, Warren stated, "Now, Senator Obama is going to go first. We flipped a coin, and we have safely placed Senator McCain in a [[Cone of silence (radar)|cone of silence]]."<ref name="CNN">{{cite web| last = Brusk| first = Steve|author2=Dana Bash |author3=Mike Roselli | title = Warren: McCain did not violate 'cone of silence'| publisher = [[CNN]]| date = August 17, 2008| url = http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/17/warren-mccain-did-not-violate-cone-of-silence/| access-date =2008-08-18}}</ref> In fact, however, McCain did not even arrive at the church until nearly half an hour later.<ref name="CNN"/> [[Andrea Mitchell]], on ''[[Meet the Press]]'', alluded to the possibility that McCain may have been able to hear the questions put to Obama, partly because his answers were immediate and, according to Mitchell, he sounded well prepared. Another act that aroused suspicion was when McCain was asked to define marriage&mdash; he gave a straightforward answer, and then asked when he would be asked the importance of Supreme Court Justices, even though the question was not to be asked until later.<ref>{{cite web|title='Meet the Press' transcript for August 17, 2008|work=Transcript|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=August 17, 2008|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26252093|access-date=2008-08-18}}</ref> The McCain campaign stated that McCain did not hear or see any of the broadcast.<ref name="CNN"/> A spokeswoman for McCain said, "The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous."<ref>{{Cite news| last = Seelye| first = Katharine Q.| title = Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn't in a 'Cone of Silence'| newspaper = [[The New York Times]]| pages = A12| date = August 18, 2008| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/politics/18mccain.html?ex=1219723200&en=94776108e2c6ce71&ei=5070&emc=eta1}}</ref> [[ABC News]] has reported that, in subsequent inquiries about the incident, the McCain campaign, while continuing to insist that McCain did not hear or see the broadcast himself, "has so far refused to say no one told the senator about the questions Obama was asked."<ref name="cos">{{cite web|last=Tapper|first=Jake| authorlink=Jake Tapper|title=Saddleback Spokesman on Cone-of-Silence-Gate|work=[[ABC News]]|date=August 18, 2008|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/saddleback-spok.html|access-date=2008-08-17}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://saddlebackcivilforum.com/index.html Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125042611/http://saddlebackcivilforum.com/index.html |date=2021-01-25 }}
*[http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/08/16/obama.forum.pt1.saddleback?iref=videosearch Saddleback forum (CNN broadcast): Part 1] · [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/08/17/obama.forum.pt2.saddleback?iref=videosearch Part 2] · [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/08/17/mccain.forum.pt1.saddleback?iref=videosearch Part 3] · [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/08/17/mccain.forum.pt2.saddleback?iref=videosearch Part 4]
*[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/17/se.01.html Saddleback forum (CNN Transcript)]
*[http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/08/who_won_the_showdown_at_saddleback.html "Who Won the Showdown at Saddleback?" ''New York Magazine'' August 18, 2008 (A sampling of commentary)]

{{United States presidential debates}}

[[Category:2008 United States presidential debates]]
[[Category:Lake Forest, California]]