Friday Debate

Don't forget -- this Friday is the first 2008 U.S. Presidential debate! This first one (of three for Obama & McCain) will focus on foreign policy and national security and be moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. From what I can discover, it will be a traditional lectern-style format with a twist: a five-minute discussion period will follow two-minute position statements for each of 9 questions posed by Lehrer.

According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which is the sponsoring agency and negotiated the formats, this allows "time for each candidate to comment on that issue followed by a free-flow conversation/ discussion between the candidates including the possibility of direct exchange between the candidates. ... Televised debates have been hampered by restrictive time limits resulting in scripted, poll-tested, bumper sticker responses. In 2008, when stakes are higher than ever, issues more complex than ever, voter interest more intense than ever, voter education calls for a more expansive discussion."

Anything that gets us away from sound-bite politics sounds good to me. And if Lehrer can herd them into discussing the issues rather than going off onto scripted only-marginally-related tangents, it'll be really great! Check your local TV listings for details, but keep 6-7:30pm Pacific/ 9-10:30pm Eastern free if you want to watch the live event.