McCain urges Obama join him in town hall meetings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain proposed on Wednesday that Democrat Barack Obama join him in at least 10 face-to-face encounters at town hall meetings this summer.

McCain performs better in the town-hall format of taking questions from an audience, rather than delivering set-piece speeches at which Obama excels.

McCain, whose invitation came the day after Obama clinched the Democratic Party's nomination for the November presidential election, suggested the first meeting be June 11 or 12 in New York's Federal Hall.

"I propose these town hall meetings be as free from the regimented trappings, rules and spectacle of formal debates as possible, and that we pledge to the American people we will not allow the idea to die on the negotiation table as our campaigns work out the details," McCain wrote in a letter to Obama.

He suggested at least 10 town hall meetings, once a week, ending the week before the Democratic nominating convention in late August, with locations to be determined by the two campaigns.

"I also suggest we fly together to the first town hall meeting as a symbolically important act embracing the politics of civility," McCain said.

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/