NY Times: Pact on Debates Will Let McCain and Obama Spar

[ChrisFromNJ]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/us/politics/21debate.html?pagewanted=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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[quote][McCain] wanted limits on the original format for the first and third debates, which had been nine topics with nine minutes of free-flowing debate on each one. Mr. Obama went along, though his aides did insist that at least several minutes of open-ended debate occur in each block of questioning, because they believe he does well in that format.

 Now the candidates will be asked a question, each will give an answer of two minutes or less, and then they will mix it up for five additional minutes before moving on to the next question in the same format.

Obama aides also agreed to use lecterns at the first event, which Mr. McCain preferred; at the third debate, the two men will be seated at a round table, in the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions, with the moderator at 6 o’clock.

McCain aides said that they were conscious of the fact that Mr. McCain has a prominent scar on one side of his face, and that they could not predict how prominent it would appear with the camera angles, lighting and make-up.

[Sam Spade]

Gotta love NY Times "reporting"...

[ChrisFromNJ]

Gotta love NY Times "reporting"...

I would say they do a better job than the New York Post or the National Review.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

The League of Women Voters washed their hands of these "debates" long ago.

[Lunar]

I think McCain's camp is getting worried about Palin, just a bit.  The lack of press access is amazing and you can see her fumble around with more questions per capita than anyone else on the trail.  She did well in her debate with Knowles, but that was in areas she has had experience with her whole life (like Alaskan values and energy issues) and less on whether Joe Biden's plan to partisan Iraq would be effective.

Maybe that's just my partisan goggles.

[Sam Spade]

Gotta love NY Times "reporting"...

I would say they do a better job than the New York Post or the National Review.

I would hope no one takes the NY Post's "reporting" seriously either.  I didn't know that the National Review did "reporting" - I thought they did "opinion pieces" and "commentary".

[cinyc]

I think McCain's camp is getting worried about Palin, just a bit.  The lack of press access is amazing and you can see her fumble around with more questions per capita than anyone else on the trail.  She did well in her debate with Knowles, but that was in areas she has had experience with her whole life (like Alaskan values and energy issues) and less on whether Joe Biden's plan to partisan Iraq would be effective.

Maybe that's just my partisan goggles.

What lack of press access?  Palin sat down for 2 days for an interview with Charles Gibson where no issue was off the table, then sat down with Sean Hannity and is going to sit down with Katie Couric soon.

Obama in the past has gone weeks if not months without holding press conferences himself.

But please, keep playing the poor Sarah Palin is going to suck at the debate card.  Lowering expectations for the Republican candidate is fine with me.

Now, why do you suppose the Republicans would want the Veep debate to have short answers?  Hint: It's not because of Governor Palin.

[Lunar]

The press has been howling, there's been stories in almost every major outlet about how they can't get a word in to Palin.  It's actually been pretty unprecedented, I'm too uncaring about this to dig up story after story about her limited access to reporters.  I'm not trying to be antagonistic here, notice words in my last post "just a bit." 

It took them, what, two weeks to get an interview with Charlie Gibson?  She sort of awk-answered a few questions so their next interview was that hard-hitter Sean Hannity?  C'mon, Sean Hannity does not count as an interviewer anymore than Rachel Maddow would for a Democrat.  The purpose of his interview is to get her elected.

I never said she would suck.  In fact, I've actually said many times that I think she'll do extremely well.  I guess now I'm the official spokesperson for the public consciousness, me lowering Palin's expectations and all.  I think she's favored to come out the winner in the debate.

But believe what you want.

[King]

It's a good thing the McCain campaign won spar-free structure to the VP debate.  Otherwise John McCain's running-mate would be the "rotting bloody unrecognizably mauled corpse formerly known as Sarah Palin."

[cinyc]

The press has been howling, there's been stories in almost every major outlet about how they can't get a word in to Palin.  It's actually been pretty unprecedented, I'm too uncaring about this to dig up story after story about her limited access to reporters.  I'm not trying to be antagonistic here, notice words in my last post "just a bit." 

The press has been howling because they are a bunch of pampered elites who think the world revolves around them.  If THEY don't get an interview, then they whine and complain and complain and whine about it.

What the American public sees is that Palin gave an interview to Charles Gibson and will see an interview with Katie Couric soon.  And then they'll see her debate Biden next month.

Again, Barack Obama went weeks if not months without giving a press conference.  The media didn't whine as loudly about it since he is their man.