Obama, McCain to speak with Rick Warren

The prelude of the debates is held at a church, no less. Mega-church leader Rick Warren will be holding a double interview of the candidates this evening. They will be interviewed separate and will only see each other as ships passing in the night, so to speak.

This looks to help Obama most, though, it could help McCain with "soft" evangelicals, ones that are concerned as much or more with poverty, aids and Africa as abortion, school choice and national defence. McCain does not have these people in his pocket as Bush did.

Obama is trying to get the "bogey man" image that he is getting plastered with on talk radio, conservative pundits, and the internet. He will seek to come off as "one of them" or at least not to be feared.

McCain could come across as too critical of Obama and paint himself as an old angry man. That would hurt him with this group. They are evangelicals and they are most comfortable with Republicans, but are not lock step with them, especially now. He needs to come off as compassionate, which he has proven to be over the years.