CNN to Air Presidential "Compassion Forum"

CNN will be the exclusive broadcaster of a special Presidential candidate forum next week.

The discussion panel, billed as the "Compassion Forum," is scheduled to air April 13 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, just 9 days before the Pennsylvania presidential primary. According to a CNN press release, the 90-minute program will feature senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both vying for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2008 election. The forum will center on discussion topics of an ideological nature, such as human rights, poverty and climate change.

The forum is sponsored by Faith in Public Life, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. devoted to strengthening faith movements and pursuing a common good. "Faith in Public Life envisions a country in which diverse religious voices for justice and the common good consistently impact public policy," says the organization's website.

The event will take place at Messiah College in Harrisburg, Penn. CNN anchor Campbell Brown and Newsweek editor Jon Meacham will serve as moderators for the event. In addition to watching it on TV, viewers can also see it live on the Internet at www.cnn.com. John King, CNN's chief national correspondent, will provide coverage live from Pennsylvania on the day before the forum and immediately after the forum's conclusion. Speakers "across the faith and ideological spectrum" will provide comments and analysis on the day of the forum, according to the CNN release.

Messiah College is a Christian institute of higher learning in Grantham, Penn, 12 miles outside of Harrisburg. It is devoted to the Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian Church, according to the college's website. It was founded in 1909 by the Brethren in Christ Church.

The Pennsylvania Democratic primary is viewed as one of the upcoming major battlegrounds in the contest between Obama and Clinton for the party's Presidential nomination. In recent days, Obama has narrowed Clinton's sizable lead by approximately 6 points. A Quinnipiac University poll shows Clinton leading Obama 50 to 44 percent, according to an April 8 story by the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Pennsylvania has 188 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. To secure the Democratic nomination, either Obama or Clinton must procure 2,024 delegates. Obama currently has 1,629 delegates and Clinton has 1,486, according to estimates from CNN.com.

Turner Pressroom. "CNN to Air Live Broadcast of Presidential Candidates Forum on Faith Issues." http://www.turnerinfo.com/newsitem.aspx?P=CNN&CID01=0c12a3b5-d617-4de3-b42f-2833af7474b9

Faith in Public Life. "About Us." http://www.faithinpubliclife.org/about/index.html

Harrisburg Patriot-News. "Obama narrows Clinton's Pennsylvania lead." http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/04/obama_narrows_clintons_pennsyl.html

The New York Times. "Election Guide 2008." http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/primaries/democraticprimaries/index.html

Messiah College. "About Messiah." http://www.messiah.edu/about/

Messiah College. "Messiah at a Glance." http://www.messiah.edu/about/glance/at_a_glance.pdf

CNN. "Election Center 2008: Delegate Scorecard." http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/