McCain, Obama will appear together at Ground Zero

Rival presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will appear together to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks.

On Thursday the two men will be in New York City on the grounds of the World Trade Center for the occassion.

{mosads}McCain (R-Ariz.) and Obama (D-Ill.) issued a rare joint statement Saturday announcing their plans and calling for a day of remembrance free of partisan campaigning.

“All of us came together on 9/11 – not as Democrats or Republicans – but as Americans," the two men said in the statement. "In smoke-filled corridors and on the steps of the Capitol; at blood banks and at vigils – we were united as one American family. On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity, to honor the memory of each and every American who died, and to grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones. We will also give thanks for the firefighters, police, and emergency responders who set a heroic example of selfless service, and for the men and women who serve today in defense of the freedom and security that came under attack in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania."

The statement said more details would be forthcoming.

The appearance will mark a rare joint appearance for the two candidates and likely the last before they meet for the first of three debates later this month at the University of Mississippi.