(Updated) Tonight: MoveOn's Virtual Presidential Candidate Forum on Iraq

UPDATE: A message from Richardson for President: Governor Richardson's portion, taped before he left for North Korea, will discuss his "New Realism" plan to end the war in Iraq. You can hear Governor Richardson online and broadcast at Air America Radio tonight. Could you go to a local MoveOn event to talk to people about the Governor's straightforward plan to end the war? Governor Richardson's plan to end the war is available online - it might be helpful for you to print out copies to take to the event. If you can make it tonight, we'd love to hear about it - leave your comments for us here and we'll put some up on the blog tomorrow.

From MoveOn.org PAC:
We're organizing three “Virtual Town Halls” to hear from 2008 Presidential candidates on the issues MoveOn members say are most important: Iraq, health care, and energy. On April 10th, at 8:00 PM MDT, we're focusing on Iraq.

MoveOn members are asking candidates the tough questions about their Iraq plans, and we're gathering in living rooms from coast to coast to hear the answers directly. Then we’ll talk together, and the next day, all MoveOn members will vote on who we think will do the best job in Iraq. It's a personal audience with the people who want our support, our time, our money, and eventually our votes.

Host your own, or join a Virtual Town Hall house party near you - enter your zip code .

How the Virtual Town Halls Will Work:

• Presidential candidates were invited if at least 10% of surveyed MoveOn members said they would like to hear what he or she has to say.

• MoveOn members voted to determine the questions that are put to the candidates. 

• Right after the virtual town hall meeting, MoveOn will survey its members to see which candidate they believe will do the best job of leading us out of the war in Iraq. Voting will go on until midnight PST on Wednesday, April 11.

• MoveOn will make the results of the support survey public on Thursday, April 12.*

• MoveOn will encourage its members to support their favored candidates’ campaigns by volunteering and contributing money.

* The results of this survey will not constitute the organization’s endorsement of a candidate. MoveOn may decide to hold an endorsement vote later in 2007.

MoveOn’s Role in Previous Campaigns:
Historically, MoveOn support has generated large contributions of members’ volunteer time and money to favored candidates. In the 2006 mid-term elections, MoveOn members contributed $27 million, made 7 million get-out-the-vote phone calls, organized 7,500 house parties, and held 6,000 in district campaign events. 

How to Participate in the Virtual Town Hall:

• MoveOn members will gather at house parties on April 10th to hear the candidates speak via an Internet based audio broadcast. They will also be able to see a map of all the parties participating and enter comments, some of which will be displayed during the intermission.

• The event will also be broadcast, with commercial breaks, on Air America XM Satellite Radio (channel 167).  It will be re-broadcast without commercial breaks on all Air America local affiliates during the following dates and times:

o Wednesday 4/11           8:00 PM - 10:00 PM ET      
o Saturday 4/14               10:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET   
o Sunday 4/15                  8:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET