The Presidential Debates!

Yep. I remember when Kerry made Bush look like a talking chimp in the debates, but it didn't matter.

I agree H2o-man... the expectations for Obama should be set very very low.
In fact, if he is able to walk out on his own two feet after the debate-- it should be considered a victory.

How do you think Obama and McCain will do? What do you expect to see?

In part, the LWV stated "The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates...because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public. "

I'm not necessarily a third party guy, but this condition on the debates has just about eliminated a viable third party candidate in the future, and I think we're poorer for it...

CNN Calls Out McCain Lie: Obama Does Have A Plan For Financial Crisis

Jed Lewison

John McCain keeps on outdoing himself with his lies. Now he's trying to make the totally false case that Barack Obama doesn't have a plan for the economic crisis. "Senator Obama," he says, "has still not offered any plan of any kind."

As CNN's Tom Foreman reports:

No plan from Obama? No way. To the contrary, Senator Obama has talked at length about reforming Wall Street, getting CEO pay packages under control, instituting new regulations to protect homeowners. In short, what everybody wants: stabilizing the economy.

Foreman also added that McCain has "been notably short on details on how he would handle this crisis."

See video at,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/22/cnn-calls-out-mccain-lie_n_128475.html

Obama will present his "soak the rich" platform as always.

I expect to see shallow BS questions from the interviewers, and the routine, well rehearsed talking points from both candidates. No major screw-ups from either side. Same old, same old. Watching presidential debates is always the anticlimax of the campaign for me. I wonder why I keep watching them every four years.

Wouldn't it be grand if there was a whoopee cushion or a Pinocchio nose anytime a candidate told a lie?

First presidential debate: foreign policy and national security,
moderated by Jim Lehrer

Friday, September 26, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.

-- Two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussion for each
question.


Vice presidential debate: all topics, moderated by Gwen Ifill

Thursday, October 2, Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

-- Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each
question. Two-minute closing statements.


Second presidential debate: all topics in town meeting format, moderated
by Tom Brokaw

Tuesday, October 7, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

-- Two-minute answers, followed by one-minute discussion for each
question.


Third presidential debate: the economy and domestic policy, moderated by
Bob Schieffer

Wednesday, October 15, Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.

-- Two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussion for each
question. Two-minute closing statements.