An interesting event is taking place tonight in DC. Democratic Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama will be sitting together to discuss Faith, Values and Poverty.

The event is named “Faith Guiding Our Votes,” because it will be a unique forum to ask questions not just about issues, but about values. Not just what policies the candidates propose, but why. Not just whether they believe privately, but about how they live out their faith in public life.

Moderated by author and Sojourners Editor-in-Chief and CEO Jim Wallis, this event is the first of its kind, bringing together God and Politics in a new light.

The country has changed since Bill Clinton was elected. It has changed even since George Bush was elected. Ten years ago (and more), the economy was steady and healthy, it looked like there would be peace (as it could be) in the Middle East, and the country was not nearly as divided as it is now. Today, we have a raging war in Iraq, the economy stumbles, and nobody can agree on anything - there are lots of fingers to be pointed and blame to be pushed around. It’s also interesting that I don’t think I’ve ever seen an election where religion played such a role, and so early on. I also think that Iraq is such a FUBAR situation, that it is difficult to determine and articulate a fine answer and/or solution to both help the country recover from the mess that has been created and get the troops out.

It really is too early to tell how any of this is going to play out, even a year from now once conventions and candidates are finalized, there is no guarantee. What I do know is that with religion playing a hand, no strong candidate on either side (in my opinion), the war in Iraq looming over us all, and the use of Web 2.0 in campaigning and reporting…2008 will be an election for the books.