September 7, 2008
Two Rivals, Together on 9/11
By JEFF ZELENY
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Their vitriol seems to be increasing by the day, but Senators John McCain and Barack Obama said on Saturday that they planned to make a rare joint appearance at ground zero for the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The campaigns had already pledged to suspend their television advertising on Thursday, and Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama are scheduled to appear at a forum on national service at Columbia University that evening.
The idea of displaying a broader sign of unity originated in a conversation between the two men late last week, aides said, after Mr. Obama, the Democratic nominee for president, called Mr. McCain to congratulate him on accepting the Republican nomination.
“All of us came together on 9/11, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans,” the candidates said in a joint statement. “In smoke-filled corridors and on the steps of the Capitol, at blood banks and at vigils, we were united as one American family.
“On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity, to honor the memory of each and every American who died, and to grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones.”
The side-by-side appearance will be the first of several for Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama in the final two months of the campaign, including their three debates, the first of which will be on Sept. 26.
