Obama to Speak at National Prayer Breakfast
Corrected on 02/03/09: An earlier version of this article misidentified the name of the hotel where the National Prayer Breakfast will be held. The hotel is the Hilton Washington.
By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
President Barack Obama will speak at next Thursday's annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, according to event organizers and a White House aide. The breakfast has drawn the sitting U.S. president every year since the Eisenhower administration, according to an organizer who would speak about the event only on background. It's customary for the president to address the gathering. The event's planners are forbidden to talk publicly about the breakfast, which is expected to draw about 4,000 guests--including a smattering of heads of state--to the Hilton Washington's ballroom next week.
"There's excitement about Obama's because it's not the first breakfast he's attended," said one organizer. "He's not coming in cold."
In addition to the presidential address, the National Prayer Breakfast features scripture reading, prayers, and a keynote speaker, all selected by a bipartisan congressional committee. Recent keynoters include rock star Bono and Human Genome Project leader Francis Collins.
Organizers said this year's speaker is confirmed but declined to disclose the person's identity.
The White House press office declined to comment, but an Obama aide said the president "is confirmed to attend and it is tradition that the president will address the group."
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Reader Comments
Stimulus Bill
There are too many unnecessary projects that are in the stimulus bill. I hope at the prayer breakfast they ask for Gods help because a true belief in God and family is what this country needs. Not more spending! Honesty, integrity and hard work are missing from many in Washington DC
FATHERIN A NATION THRU HOPE WHICH LEADS TO CHANGE
*********************FATHER GOD ALMIGHTY O' WHERE IS MY SHEPHERD AT? THE ONE WHOM YE SENT FO THE PEOPLE THE ONE MY MOTHER TOOK STEPS WITH..LIKE A CHILD I AWAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ONLY PROBLEM!..I HAVE NO ONE TO SIT WITH..HOPIN THAT THE FEELIN COULD BE REPLACE BUT NOT WITH THOSE OF A MISFIT..MY HEALTH IS GOOD, MY MIND IS RIGHT..I JUST WANT YOU IN MY LIFE..TO WHOM AM I A{N} ADULT AND MY HABITS ARE WHO'S FAULT..BASICALLY I'M ASKIN FO YOUR FEAR BEFO I'M OUTLINE IN CHALK I OFTEN TAKE LONG WALKS..BUT WHO TO SAY I'M NOT WHAT THEY LOOKIN FO AND YOU CAN COUNT IT ALL JOY NOW GUESS WHO THEY LOOKIN FO FATHER GOD ALMIGHTY O' WHERE IS MY SHEPHERD AT? THE ONE WHOM YE SENT FO THE PEOPLE THE ONE WHOM MY MOTHER TOOK STEPS WITH..MY INFANT SIDE VISION YOU LIKE SANTA,NOT A PICTURE OF US FOUND THAT WOULD MAKE A PERFECT PIECE FOR THE MANTEL..FATHER GOD ALMIGHTY O' WHERE IS MY SHEPHERD AT? THE ONE WHOM YE SENT FO THE PEOPLE THE ONE WHOM MY MOTHER TOOK STEPS WITH LIKE A CHILD I AWAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ONLY PROBLEM! I HAVE NO ONE TO SIT WIT.************************************************************
Politics & Reglion
Isn't this mixing politics with religion? Not good. Presidents should stay out of this. Practice a religion? Fine. Just don't involve politicians who make policy.
Obama should give EQUAL time to people without faith and their national meeting.
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