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20/20
Air Date: Friday, September 26, 2008
Time Slot: 8:00 PM-9:00 PM EST on ABC
Episode Title: "N/A"
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

DIANE SAWYER INTERVIEWS SENATORS BARACK OBAMA AND JOHN MCCAIN AND THEIR WIVES ON "PORTRAIT OF A PRESIDENT," TWO SPECIAL EDITIONS OF "20/20," SEPTEMBER 26 AND OCTOBER 3 ON ABC

First Hour to Be Part of ABC News' Coverage of the First Presidential Debate on Friday, September 26

In the final weeks of a presidential race that has seen the candidates trade charges and countercharges, how well do voters really know Senators John McCain and Barack Obama? Diane Sawyer anchors two hour-long "20/20" specials examining the personal crises, family struggles and defining events that have shaped the candidates. The first hour will air in conjunction with ABC News' special coverage of the first Presidential Debate on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET, 10:00-11:00 p.m., PT* (ABC News' live coverage of the debate at the University of Mississippi will air at 9:00 p.m., ET, 6:00 p.m., PT). The second hour will air on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network.

*Editors note: This special will air prior to the debate on the east coast and after the debate on the west coast on Sept. 26.

Over five months, ABC News sat down with Senators McCain and Obama, their families and close friends, who provided first-hand accounts of their extraordinary lives. These specials include never-before seen footage, rare photos and behind-the-scenes access with both candidates. In it the Senators share what they consider their most crushing failures, who their closest friends are and how they ended up with the women they are devoted to. Sawyer interviews both Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain, who talk about how they see their husbands -- as candidates, fathers and leaders.

From a revealing elementary school essay of Senator Obama's to a never-before-heard radio broadcast by Senator McCain from Hanoi, the first hour airing on Friday, September 26 will focus on the turning points of the candidates' early lives. The second hour, airing on October 3, will take an intimate look at the personal and family aspects of these men.

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