Obama, McCain speak at dinner hosted by New York's Cardinal Egan
October 17, 2008
Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama were the featured guests at the Al Smith dinner in New York, the most highly publicized Catholic event of this year's campaign season. Each of the candidates delivered a light-hearted speech at the annual dinner, and their banter drew international headlines. The event, hosted by Cardinal Edward Egan-- who sat at the flanked by the presidential candidates-- raised a record $5 million for Catholic Charities.
The Al Smith dinner celebrates the memory of former New York Governor Al Smith, the first Catholic to gain a major-party presidential nomination. Smith lost to Herbert Hoover in 1928. In 2004 the Democratic candidate, John Kerry, was not invited to attend, presumably because of his support for legal abortion. Obama, who is not Catholic, holds the same pro-abortion position.
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Further information:
- The candidates' remarks (excerpts by Newsday)
- At Dinner, McCain and Obama Share Some Laughs. No Joke (New York Times)
- Where you sit says a lot about where you stand (New York Daily News)
- John McCain and Barack Obama help celebrate a Democratic loser (Los Angeles Times)
- McCain, Obama Compete for Laughs at Traditional Political 'Roast' (Voice of America)
- Obama and McCain pal around at Catholic fundraiser (Guardian)
- Obama and McCain trade jokes at charity dinner (EuroNews)
- Barack Obama and John McCain trade barbs for jokes (Melbourne Herald Sun)
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