September
18 The Candidates' Wives Club

Five of the leading presidential candidates' wives --- Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama, Ann Romney and Jeri Thompson --- will gather for what is being called a "first-of-its-kind conversation" with Maria Shriver on Oct. 23.

The event, sponsored by the Women's Conference and to be held at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, is not a debate. Rather, the group says that it "will explore how these remarkable women juggle their families, careers and personal lives while managing the very public demands of their husbands' presidential bids."

The group also plans what will probably be a more politically charged discussion of the role of women in the 2008 election. ABC News' Deborah Roberts will moderate a "Decision 08" panel that includes Dee Dee Myers, Geraldine Ferraro, Christine Todd Whitman and political analyst Mark Halperin.

The Women's Conference is a group sponsored by Shriver and her husband, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.