Wordless Wednesday: Getting Ready for Their Close-Ups at Saddleback Forum

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate US Sen. John McCain, Saddelback Church pastor Rick Warren and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate US Sen. Barack Obama have their make-up applied during a Civil Forum at the church in Lake Forest, Calif. on August 16, 2008 in Lake Forest, California. It was the first joint appearance of the candidates. They were asked, seperately, about issues of poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate and human rights. Neither candidate was allowed to hear the responses of the other.

Although the audience in attendance was difficult to read, most national pundits concluded that McCain clearly outshined Obama. McCain's frank, honest answers and poised delivery earned him high marks from a variety of commentators, and although polls this early in a campaign are largely inconsequential, it is no coincidence that McCain's numbers began to grow (and Obama's began to sink) after the Saddleback appearance.