Rick Warren, center, watches as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, shakes hands with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., during the Compassion Forum at the Saddleback Church, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008 in Lake Forest, Calif. |
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) -- Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain have shared a hug, two handshakes and their thoughts on faith in a televised, two-hour forum on faith.
The two nominees-in-waiting briefly exchanged civilities Saturday onstage between their separate appearances during a forum hosted by the minister Rick Warren at his megachurch in Orange County, Calif. The two hadn't appeared together in months, and they answered the same set of questions from Warren.
To standing applause in a packed auditorium and broadcast live on cable television, the three men held hands and made brief small talk. The Republican McCain and the Democrat Obama shortly set aside an increasingly negative back-and-forth between them to embrace in front of one of the country's most popular pastors.