McCain, Obama and Clinton on American Idol. Elton John concert tonight for Clinton.

SHARE McCain, Obama and Clinton on American Idol. Elton John concert tonight for Clinton.

MALVERN, PA.Why? Because thats where the voters are. The three presidential contenders all appear on taped segments of American Idol on Wednesday night as part of the give back programming for the hit show.

Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) taped his segment last Monday from Kansas City, Mo. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) taped her stuff last week while in Los Angeles, on the same day she did Leno. On the show business beat.Elton John performs tonight at a Clinton fund-raiser in New York.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) taped his bit last week from Harrisburg, Pa., noting his two daughters are big fans.

Heres what Obama will say tonight:

Hello everybody. I’d like to say a few words not just as the father of

two young girls who are big American Idol fans, but as someone who cares

deeply about what tonight’s show is all about. Whether it’s across the

street or around the world, Idol Gives Back is proving that when

ordinary people come together, they can do extraordinary things.

So I want to commend American Idol for the example they’re setting and the

work they’re doing. And I hope that everyone who’s watching will make a

contribution to Idol Gives Back, and help make this world a more just,

more equal, and more hopeful place to live.

I asked Obama strategist David Axelrod what the appeal of American Idol was to the contenders: Said Axelrod, American Idol is where tens of millions of Americans gather.

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