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| Format Gives Palin Open Season on Biden |
| 2008-09-21 |
| Negotiators for the campaigns of Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama agreed yesterday on a format for the Oct. 2 debate between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., resolving an issue left open in August after the campaigns settled on the structure of the three presidential debates, according to sources involved in the talks. Under the plan agreed to yesterday, Palin and Biden will have less time than McCain and Obama to reply to moderators' questions and discuss each other's answers. And there will be no guidelines given to Gwen Ifill of PBS, moderator of the vice presidential debate, as to subject matter, allowing her to mix in questions about foreign and domestic matters, the sources said. Both sides were satisfied with the final agreement, the sources said. The Commission on Presidential Debates, the independent nonprofit organization that manages these quadrennial events, had hoped the campaigns would agree to the same longer segments for the vice presidential aspirants as those adopted in August for the presidential debates. In the negotiations, Republicans wanted to limit the amount of time available for their neophyte candidate, Palin, to be questioned on a single topic. No bias here; move along. Democrats, meanwhile, wanted to be sure Biden and Palin spoke from lecterns rather than sitting at a table the way Vice President Cheney and his rivals in 2000 (Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut) and 2004 (Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina) did. Both sides got what they wanted. Palin and Biden will each have 90 seconds to respond to questions, followed by a two-minute period for discussion between the candidates. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #8 and switched nyms too |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-09-21 15:04 |
| #7 Sherry, you should see the examples of his "thinking" in the other threads where he has graced us with his presence. (grin) I think he's gone 3/4 of the way through the Soros talking points. |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-09-21 15:02 |
| #6 From a Mod -- Impartial and Objective, why don't you go watch a football game? You're level of reasoning just doesn't fit in here. Facts and sometimes even opinions we accept, but some of your rhetoric is out of line. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-09-21 14:50 |
| #5 Gwen should not be making the questions.. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-09-21 12:25 |
| #4 Brian Lamb should "moderate" all debates, though Rick Warren made a nice case for himself to be included. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Asymmetrical Reply Division 2008-09-21 10:54 |
| #3 She can probably restrain her spittle when Palin speaks, unlike most of the others they would choose. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-09-21 08:44 |
| #2 The Commission on Presidential Debates, the independent nonprofit organization that manages these quadrennial events, As ed notes, why have Ifill as moderator if you're allegedly an 'independent' organization? 1) Methinks the 'nonprofit' (read - liberal) moniker gives it away. 2) Maybe Ifill has the shortest MRC rap sheet of the available moderators. |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-09-21 08:10 |
| #1 PBSÂ’s Gwen Ifill: No Moderate Moderator |
| Posted by: ed 2008-09-21 08:03 |