I love you, man!
Presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain reached across the aisle in a shockingly giant man hug last night in their first joint appearance of the presidential race.
The sparring nominees had their warm and fuzzy moment at the Saddleback Civil Forum, in between hourlong individual quizzing by Rev. Rick Warren on the hot-button issues of abortion, religion and gay marriage.
After Obama’s turn on stage before the packed audience, McCain, dressed in an open-collared blue shirt, stepped out waving to the crowd of 2,200.
As he demurely leaned in to shake hands with the Illinois senator, Obama, also sporting a breezy, open-collared look, wrapped his arm around the septuagenarian Republican hopeful, seemingly shocking the stiff McCain.
But the gesture shattered the ice as McCain his Democratic rival with a not-so-hip pat on the arm.
Taking the stage first, Obama, warmly received by the right-leaning audience, squirmed a little when Warren asked him about abortion, saying that “answering that question with any specificity is above my pay grade.”
Obama did admit to the audience of evangelical Christians that he is pro-choice and believes in Roe v. Wade, but he said he would favor limits on late-term abortion, except in the case where the mother’s health is in danger.
He also told Warren that the number of abortions could be limited by initiatives to decreasing the number of unwanted pregnancies.
Obama also focused on his Christianity, calling it “a source of strength and sustenance on a daily basis.”
Both candidates said they believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, although Obama stressed his support for civil unions and states’ rights to set the law.
McCain took a couple of swings at the Bush administration, saying he would track elusive terror lord Osama bin Laden “to the gates of Hell” and also chided the president for telling people to go shopping after 9/11.
And in an unusual move, Obama praised Bush for his fight against AIDS.