The gwen ifill meet the press debate debates presidential

More than three weeks before Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Gov. Sarah
Palin, R-Alaska, were set to meet in St. Louis for their Oct. 2 vice
presidential debate, Biden was already predicting a messy fight.

“She’s going to make it as personal as she can. She’s going to take a
lot of straight lefts and jabs at me, she’s going to try to get me to
respond in a personal way,” Biden told a Chicago audience. “That’s not
my style. I’m not going to do it.”

Throughout September, staffers and allies were prepping candidates for
the three presidential debates and the one VP debate that could
produce the decisive moments within a tight struggle. Biden, for
example, tapped Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to stand in for Palin
during debate rehearsals. Despite sharp ideological differences with
Palin, Granholm bears some similarities to the candidate: She is a 49
-year-old governor with three children. (Palin, 44, is a first-term
governor with five children.)

Considering Biden’s 30 years in the Senate, and previous presidential
runs, Palin faces a formidable match. Saint Louis University political
scientist Ken Warren compared the contest to another epic battle: “The
vice presidential debate will attract a lot of interest because of
David, so to speak, going up against Goliath.”

In the center ring, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz., are facing the weightiest political bouts of their careers as
well: three televised debates on Sept. 26, Oct. 7, and Oct. 15. As the
debates unfold before an estimated 70 million viewers (more than any
other televised event outside the Super Bowl), how will the candidates
spar? What should viewers look for, and how will they know who wins?
And what does a candidate’s debate performance say about the kind of
leader he or she might be?

For those with ringside seats or living room views, here’s a guide to
the matches of the year.

Television viewers watched presidential candidates slug it out live
for the first time in September 1960, when Vice President Richard
Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy met for the first of four televised
contests dubbed the “Great Debates.”

The Kennedy/Nixon match-ups revealed at least one thing about
televised contests: image matters. Nixon, who appeared pale and
slightly unshaven, was also recovering from a knee injury that left
him fatigued and thin. Kennedy, who had spent the first two weeks of
September campaigning in California, appeared tan and fit.

Many who heard the first debate on the radio declared Nixon the
winner. But by the end of the fourth televised contest, Kennedy’s
visual style and political substance delivered a one-two punch that
Nixon couldn’t match. Kennedy and others later attributed his narrow
victory in November partly to his debate performance in September.

Americans wouldn’t see another televised debate until 1976, when
President Gerald Ford challenged Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter to
a contest that became famous for a Ford blunder: The president was
panned for quizzically declaring that the Soviet Union didn’t dominate
eastern Europe. Ford’s mistake revealed another axiom of televised
debates: one-liners matter. Subsequent debates would confirm that a
single comment could define a candidate—for better or worse.

In the 1984 presidential debates, President Ronald Reagan cleverly
squashed concerns over his age (compared with his younger Democratic
opponent Walter Mondale) by quipping: “I am not going to exploit, for
political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

When vice presidential candidate Sen. Dan Quayle loosely compared
himself to Sen. John Kennedy in the 1988 debates, his opponent,
Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, delivered a devastating comeback:
“Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” Quayle and Vice President George
H.W. Bush easily won in November, but Quayle fought credibility
questions for the next four years.

Other debates proved that subtle cues matter: President George H.W.
Bush ignited a firestorm when he glanced at his watch during a debate
with Democratic candidate Bill Clinton in 1992. Bush battled the
perception that he was bored.

Vice President Al Gore’s public perception suffered after a debate
against George W. Bush in 2000 where Gore sighed loudly during Bush’s
remarks and aggressively stepped into his opponent’s space. Campaigns
took note: Manners matter too.

These days, campaigns spend months focusing on rehearsing a litany of
possible questions with candidates, all while poring over the lessons
of the past.

Debate organizers at the Commission on Presidential Debates have been
planning this year’s contests for nearly two years. The nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization has managed general election presidential
debates since 1987, determining the site and format for each contest.

Negotiating teams from each candidate’s camp met to hammer out final
details ahead of the debates. In mid-September, representatives from
the Obama and McCain camps agreed to switch the topic of the first
debate to foreign policy and national security, sending hosts at the
University of Mississippi scrambling to adjust preparations. (Neither
side revealed the reasons for the change, but both sides likely gained
something they wanted in the deal.)

When the dust settled, so did the final schedule: The candidates would
debate foreign policy and national security on Sept. 26 at Ole Miss in
Oxford, Miss. The vice presidential candidates meet on Oct. 2 at
Washington University in St. Louis to debate foreign and domestic
topics. The second presidential debate comes in a town hall format on
Oct. 7 at Belmont University in Nashville, and the final round takes
place on Oct. 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., where Obama
and McCain will debate domestic issues.

Each debate will last 90 minutes (with no commercials) and feature a
single moderator, who will introduce a question and allow each
candidate to answer. The moderator will follow up over the next 10
minutes in a conversational style, allowing the candidates to interact
with each other.

There’s one formatting exception: the town hall debate. This event
will feature a group of some 120 undecided voters enlisted by the
Gallup Organization using telephone screening a few days before the
debate. The participants will bring at least two questions they’d like
to ask the candidates. The moderator will review the questions to
cover the widest possible range of topics, but will not change the
voters’ wording.

With dozens of undecided voters asking virtually anything they want,
this night promises to be one of the most revealing for viewers, and
most challenging for candidates.

The enormous task of presiding over a fair fight falls to four lone
moderators chosen by the commission.

Jim Lehrer, a 30-year veteran of television news and anchor of PBS’
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, will host the first debate. Lehrer has
been called “America’s moderator” for good reason: During the last
five presidential elections, the longtime journalist and author of 18
novels has moderated 10 of the nationally televised debates.

What makes Lehrer such a popular choice? “He gets out of the way,”
says Alan Schroeder, a journalism professor at Northeastern University
in Boston. “You don’t want a moderator who thinks the debate is about
him.”

Schroeder, author of Presidential Debates: 50 Years of High-Risk TV,
told WORLD that well-informed, low-key moderators work best in general
election debates when viewers need to focus on the candidates and the
issues. He thinks the remaining three moderators are good picks: NBC’s
Tom Brokaw, Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer, and Washington Week
host Gwen Ifill, who will moderate the vice presidential debates.

Schroeder says television journalists are logical choices because of
their familiarity and ease with the medium: “For all these
moderators—as well as for the candidates—these are the
largest audiences they will ever face in their entire careers. You
can’t be nervous.”

When the cameras finally go live on debate night, it’s hard to imagine
the contenders won’t fight nerves. For both McCain and Obama, the
debates are the culmination of more than 18 months of relentless
campaigning. For McCain, it’s a pinnacle he’s tried to reach for eight
years.

Each candidate will have a different task: Obama will aim to convince
voters he’s experienced enough to handle the presidency and that
McCain represents an extension of the Bush administration. McCain will
aim to convince voters that his policy plans are different than Bush’s
and better than Obama’s.

In order to succeed, both candidates will need to bring the same
thing: mastery of the issues. With no low-brow campaign ads or
accusatory press releases for at least 90 minutes, the debates will
test the candidates’ grasp of the issues and the validity of their
proposals. “You can’t fake it,” says Schroeder.

Just days after the stock market took its deepest plunge since 9/11,
viewers will listen for concrete answers to growing economic problems,
and moderators will press candidates beyond their usual talking points
on the economy and a range of issues. Schroeder says voters should pay
attention to whether candidates are giving thoughtful answers: “I
think it’s a little disrespectful to the audience to just give the
same old sound bites they’ve been giving all along.”

Rosanna Perotti, chair of the political science department at Hofstra
University, site of the final debate, told WORLD that viewers should
also pay attention to how the candidates carry themselves for clues
about their leadership skills: Are they thinking critically? Are they
making good judgments? Do they handle pressure well? “Citizens are
looking for someone who exhibits the qualities necessary to be a good
president,” she said.

On Oct. 7, viewers will apply those same questions to the vice
presidential debates, a contest that may be watched by as many viewers
as the presidential events. Though vice presidential debates have
played a less significant role in the past, Palin’s dark horse entry
may draw more viewers than usual. (Her speech at the Republican
National Convention drew more television viewers than Obama’s address
at the Democratic convention.)

Schroeder says viewers will tune in with one major question in mind:
How will Palin perform? Given the governor’s brief time in the
national spotlight so far, predictions are difficult to make. “Maybe
it’s a smart strategy to save it all up for the debate,” says
Schroeder. “But it really puts a lot of pressure on her to come
through with the goods on debate night.”

Biden faces pressure, too, as he debates a woman who is highly popular
within her party and beyond. George H.W. Bush faced criticism in 1984
for appearing to patronize Geraldine Ferraro in the vice presidential
debates. “I don’t think Biden is going to fall into the same trap, but
he’s still in fairly uncharted territory,” says Schroeder.

As each of the four candidates faces a piece of uncharted territory in
the final rounds of the elections, Perotti says she hopes viewers will
rely on a well-worn path: “I hope people actually listen to what
they’re saying.”

First-ever televised debates. Vice President Richard Nixon, recovering
from a serious knee injury, looks pale and thin. Sen. John F. Kennedy
looks fit and tan. Radio listeners declare Nixon winner. Television
viewers favor Kennedy. Kennedy wins election by narrow margin.

President Gerald Ford debates Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter.
Electrical power fails during live debate. The candidates stand on the
Philadelphia stage in silence for 27 minutes.

Independent candidate Ross Perot debates George H.W. Bush and Bill
Clinton. Perot is the only third-party candidate ever allowed in
nationally televised, general election debate.

Sen. Barack Obama becomes first African American in a general election
debate. Gov. Sarah Palin becomes second woman to participate. —

University debate washington in gwen ifill pbs

ST. LOUIS — It may have initially appeared Washington University
drew the short stick when it was awarded the vice presidential
debate.After all, the school is more accustomed to welcoming the names
at the top of the ticket, having hosted presidential debates in all
but one of the past four elections.And then came the revelation that
Washington University wasn’t even first choice for the second-
fiddle debate. It turns out Washington State University had been
offered the gig first but turned it down.Those disappointments are a
distant memory since U.S. Sen. John McCain shook up the race by
unexpectedly announcing he had asked Sarah Palin, the little-known
governor of Alaska and self-described “hockey mom,” to be
his running mate.Instantly, the vice presidential showdown in St.
Louis on Oct. 2, to be moderated by PBS’s Gwen Ifill, became one
of the most highly anticipated events of the campaign. Experts say it
could be the most closely watched vice presidential debate in history.
Unlike most debates between running mates, experts say, this one
actually has the potential to turn the election.Reporters from as far
as Alaska have been begging for press credentials, but the deadline
was last month. And the school, which had received virtually no
requests for tickets until last Friday, has been fielding dozens of
calls from people wanting a ringside seat to the big show.Nearly all
that new interest in the debate centers on Palin, not her more
seasoned rival, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.“She is a total wild
card,” said Joel Goldstein, a St. Louis University law
professor. “People don’t know anything about her. I think
they’re intrigued as to how she responds.”He added that
Palin has been closely managed by the campaign and has not spoken too
much off the cuff yet.“It’s one thing to give a speech
when you’re reading a script,” he said. “It’s
another thing to have to respond to questions and to have to do it
under the bright lights.”Rob Wild, the chairman of Washington
University’s debate steering committee, said that the school
will follow its long-standing tradition of giving its tickets to
students. About 6,000 students have already signed up for the lottery
to get tickets. In 2004, about 150 students were able to sit inside
the auditorium for the presidential debate.As for everybody else
hoping to be inside, Wild said, “We encourage people to enjoy it
on television.”Steve Smith, a Washington University political
science professor who attended the Republican National Convention as a
media commentator, said Palin showed Wednesday night in her speech
that she can deliver scripted attack lines and that she has some
substance.“She needed to reclaim her image after a couple of
days of being beaten up and she did that with self-confidence and
humor,” he said.The next test will be whether she can handle
some give and take with reporters on the campaign trail and in the
debate.But Smith noted that Biden sometimes has a sharp tongue, and
has the potential to make blunders.“Biden has a tendency to talk
too much,” Smith said. “To give a crisp 60-second or
90-second answer is a skill and he’s not always shown he’s
good at it.”The anticipation of those possible exchanges has
political observers salivating. And some are working whatever
connection they can to see the action in person.Even former U.S. Sen.
John C. Danforth, R-Mo., got a call this week from someone sweet
talking him for tickets. It came from a complete stranger.Contact
Kavita Kumar at .
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The gwen ifill pbs debate presidential vice

ST. LOUIS – The vice presidential debate at Washington University next
month is starting to look a whole lot more intriguing.

Republican John McCain’s choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as
his running mate is generating increased buzz about the Oct. 2 debate
at the university in St. Louis. It is the only scheduled matchup of
Palin and Democrat Barack Obama’s No. 2, Sen. Joe Biden of
Delaware.

“At first when it was announced the vice presidential debate would be
here, some students had the mentality, ’why didn’t we get
a presidential debate?’” Brittany Perez, a senior from Tampa,
Fla., and president of the university’s student government, said
Wednesday. “But it’s even better at this point because
it’s the only vice presidential debate, and these are candidates
we know the least about.”

Little is especially known about Palin, the 44-year-old first-term
governor. Supporters say she is a rising political star whose
executive experience and reforms make her a strong choice; detractors
say that experience came in a state with a small population, and she
lacks foreign policy expertise.

Against Biden, Palin will face a man who was first elected to the
Senate in 1972 and, through previous runs for president, has extensive
debate experience. And although Palin has nearly a month to make
herself better known, it’s likely many viewers will tune in for
a first look at how she handles herself.

“The vice presidential debate will attract a lot of interest because
of David, so to speak, going up against Goliath,” Saint Louis
University political scientist Ken Warren said.

“I think it’s possible the vice presidential debate might
actually get higher ratings than the presidential debates, and I think
that’s true because of the great contrast between the two
candidates,” Hancock said.

“I think there will be extra intrigue to this debate because it really
gives voters a clear window into the type of decisions these
presidential candidates will make, and their judgment if elected
president,” Cardetti said.

The debate will focus on both domestic and foreign policy and be
administered by a single moderator, Gwen Ifill of PBS.

Jordan Aibel, a sophomore economics major from Miami, is coordinating
voter registration efforts at the university for the Gephardt
Institute. He has seen a growing interest in the debate.

“Up until a couple of weeks ago all the talk was about McCain versus
Obama, and there wasn’t much talk around campus about the vice
presidential debate,” Aibel said. “But now a lot of the talk is what
the Palin-Biden dynamic.”

“You’re getting a lot of people asking questions about who she
is,” he said. “You’re getting people basing very strong opinions
on very little information.”

Gauging any surge in interest nationally is difficult. Media
credential requests were due — without exception — in mid-
August. Tickets to attend the debate in person are assigned by the
Commission on Presidential Debates. Washington University gets some
tickets, but doesn’t sell them — they’re distributed
only to full-time students selected via a lottery.

NEW YORK – In the market for a basket woven from seal intestines? How
about a pouch…

Gwen ifill pbs’s obama lois romano

Don’t want to miss out on the latest in politics? Start each day with
The Post Politics Hour. Join in each weekday morning at 11 a.m. as a
member of The Washington Post’s team of White House and Congressional
reporters answers questions about the latest in buzz in Washington and
The Post’s coverage of political news.

Washington Post national political reporter Lois Romano was online
live Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news in
politics.

St. Paul, Minn.: Hi Lois. It seems like the hoopla surrounding Sarah
Palin has died down somewhat, along with the Monday morning
quarterbacking that Obama should have gone with Hillary … but where
is Joe Biden? Is there a sense that he’s proving to be an effective
surrogate for Obama, or is he merely fulfilling the “do no harm”
requirement, despite his occasional odd comments (i.e. criticizing ads
from his own party)?

washingtonpost.com: See the ad at The Post’s new r, a rundown of the
biggest and best stories of the day from across the Web.

Lois Romano: Biden actually is campaigning very hard across the
country, focusing his energy on working-class communities that Obama
has trouble connecting with. You may not read about him, but he is
getting ample coverage from the local press where he travels. There
certainly was some panic among Democrats when Palin was named, but
there was never any serious consideration to Obama replacing Biden.

San Diego: What is the schedule for the vice presidential and
presidential debates (i.e. dates, times, TV channels)?

washingtonpost.com: All debates start at 9 p.m. ET. Presidential:
Sept. 26, moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS; Oct. 7, moderated by Tom
Brokaw of NBC; Oct. 15, moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS. Vice
presidential: Oct. 2, moderated by Gwen Ifill of PBS.

Re: Dire Consequences: The Post has a headline above the fold which
says the administration warns of “dire consequences” if its $700
billion financial solution is not adopted. Didn’t it use many of the
same words to roll us over to accepting the invasion of Iraq? Do these
words and scare tactic fall into the “fool me once, shame on you; fool
me twice, shame on me” department?

Lois Romano: It’s because of Iraq that you see lawmakers take a closer
look at this package in the light of day. Everyone seems to agree on
some level that it’s needed, but to what extent the public must pick
up the tab for Wall Street and corporations — while their executives
get great golden parachutes — is being hotly debated.

Dunn Loring, Va.: With Obama criticizing Biden’s position on the AIG
bailout and with Biden criticizing the Obama ad making fun of McCain’s
inability to use a computer, is there even more talk now of Biden
being removed from the vice presidential slot? Is this harping on your
running mate indicative of what an Obama administration will look
like?

Lois Romano: I don’t think we can read too much into it at this point.
They were in different locations and it was a fast-moving event, so
there wasn’t much time to formulate an official campaign policy. I
doubt you will see too much more of that moving forward.

Waterville, Maine: Good morning. Joe Biden’s comment to Katie Couric
that an Obama-Biden campaign ad ridiculing McCain’s computer skills,
among other things, was “terrible” appears like the kind of gaffe that
McCain’s team will seize on to say Obama is not a new kind of
politician — even his vice presidential pick is disgusted (or
something along those lines). I can imagine that ads are being created
as we speak. Two questions: How is the Obama camp — which has been
very disciplined — going to deal with Biden’s off-message remarks?
And do you think this has legs, or will the financial industry bailout
drown out this impolitic statement as noise?

Lois Romano: The ad seems to have backfired on the Democrats. In
addition to it being perceived as simply silly, some blogs are writing
that McCain can’t use a computer because of the injuries he sustained
in Vietnam. Dan Pfeiffer an Obama spokesman explained the ad, saying
cyber-security is “one of our most serious national security threats.”
It didn’t come off in a way that showed “security” to be the issue.

This being said, the McCain campaign has been throwing some very tough
stuff at Obama in ads. It’s a pretty tough race.

Orono, Maine: The talk of my office the other day was George Will’s
comments Sunday about John McCain’s temperament. Now he’s put those
thoughts into print and the column will be in our local paper
tomorrow. Do you think having a conservative criticize McCain will
have an impact on moderate and conservative voters?

Lois Romano: Not particularly. Conservative voters long have been wary
of McCain and his temper long has been an issue.

Washington: Good morning. I was asked an interesting question
yesterday and was hoping you might know the answer: What happens if a
candidate has to drop out after they’ve been nominated? I’m not saying
either candidate will/should, but it was a hypothetical, and I
couldn’t answer. Does the vice presidential pick automatically take up
the mantle? Does the party hold an emergency meeting and pick a new
candidate based on who got the second-most delegates? Are the rules
the same for both parties? Just wondering.

Lois Romano: The only time this has happened is recent political
history was when George McGovern dropped Thomas Eagleton from the
ticket in 1972, and gave the vice presidential slot to Sargent Shriver
after the convention. I believe what happened is that the Democrats
then staged what amounted to a mini-nominating convention in
Washington for Sargent.

Salinas, Calif.: Hi Lois. It appears to me that Barak Obama has
surrendered his high ground campaign of hope and leadership for the
trench warfare that John McCain’s advisors have calculated will get
them the win (perhaps the only way). Barring a huge Election Day
turnout of first-time Democratic and independent voters (the vaunted
“ground game”) and a dominating Obama presence in the debate
crapshoot, doesn’t daily “news” of battleground states leave Democrats
with a queasy feeling, a bad deja vu?

Lois Romano: It’s a very tough race. One demographic you didn’t
mention was young voters. Obama did a good job mobilizing them for the
primaries; he needs them to vote this time in droves.

Albany, N.Y.: In the world of the pundits, Obama and Biden not walking
in lockstep is a major faux pas, but in the rest of the country, it is
more likely a sign of two men speaking candidly — rarely a bad thing.

Massillon, Ohio: In answer to the apparent disappearance of Joe Biden,
he was in our area last week, and had big crowds in Wooster and
Canton. The local newspapers all had extensive coverage and the
television stations in Cleveland covered it. People in this area are
much more likely to trust the coverage of our local media than you
MSM-ers.

Dunn Loring, Va.: How smart is Biden really? I know he likes to brag
about his intelligence, but then he tells Katie Couric that “when the
stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and
didn’t just talk about the princes of greed.” Does Biden not realize
that TV wasn’t commercially available in 1929, and that FDR didn’t
take office until 1933?

Raleigh, N.C.: Good morning. The McCain campaign, in its public face,
comes across as angry a lot of the time. Are they that way on a
personal level?

Lois Romano: No, not really. There are many decent people working
there who believe in McCain. I think what you’re seeing now is their
attack on the media, which the media then covers — so it seems as if
they are angry all the time.

Richmond, Va.: Former President Clinton’s appearance on “The View” the
other day has been well reviewed across the board, with his admission
that his administration made mistakes and that both parties were to
blame. While some folks have said this is him being upfront and
bipartisan, am I wrong to think that it’s another attempt to screw
over Obama and take another potentially harmful issue for the GOP off
the table?

Lois Romano: To the contrary, he looks open and conciliatory. And that
is a welcomed change from the primaries.

Brookline, Mass.: If the McCain campaign says it doesn’t care about
the media “filter,” why go on such an unhinged tirade against the
Times?

Lois Romano: They care. A critical part of their strategy is to attack
the media — it fires up their base, which hates the media.

Lois Romano: Thank you all for joining me today. I have to sign out a
few minutes early to attend a press conference. These are very
exciting times — check in with us early and often.

Editor’s Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and
hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third
parties.

Mccain obama debate in gwen ifill pbs

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., claps
during a rally in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008. (AP
Photo/Chris Carlson)

McCain says Obama acting more like politician than leader on economy,
Iraq … Obama to head to Tampa, Fla., this week to prepare for
presidential debates with McCain … Gwen Ifill hits the jackpot in
being selected moderator of highly anticipated VP debate …

BALTIMORE (AP) — Republican presidential nominee John McCain
told an audience Sunday that Barack Obama behaved more like a
politician than a leader, both on matters of national security and on
last week’s near-meltdown of the U.S. financial system.

Addressing a meeting of the National Guard Association, McCain faulted
Obama for not offering a plan to stabilize financial markets after a
crisis in the mortgage industry led to the collapse of two investment
banks and the government bailout of housing agencies Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac and insurance giant AIG.

“At a time of crisis, when leadership is needed, Senator Obama has not
provided it,” McCain said.

On Friday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced he would begin
crafting a $700 billion federal takeover of the troubled financial
sector. The same day, McCain laid out his own series of proposals for
helping to stabilize the mortgage industry, such as a Mortgage and
Financial Institutions Trust.

Obama declined to offer a plan, saying he wanted to allow Paulson to
address the matter without political intrusion. Advisers to the
Democratic hopeful criticized McCain’s proposals as little more than
talking points that lacked any meaningful detail.

Later Sunday, McCain cautioned against granting unchecked authority to
Paulson, saying he is “greatly concerned that the plan gives a single
individual the unprecedented power to spend $1 trillion on the basis
of not much more than ‘Trust me.'”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Barack
Obama undergoes three days of preparation this week for a crucial
foreign policy clash with John McCain in the first debate of the
general election campaign.

Aides say it will be an opportunity for Obama to demonstrate
proficiency in an area where polls have shown voters give the edge to
McCain, a 26-year Washington veteran who promotes his ties to leaders
around the world.

If Obama can hold his own on foreign policy, it could ease those
worries, aides said Sunday as they tried to lower expectations for the
first-term Illinois senator, a powerful speaker but an uneven
performer in multiple debates during the Democratic primaries.

“John McCain has boasted throughout the campaign about his decades of
Washington foreign policy experience and what an advantage that would
be for him,” Gibbs said. “This debate offers him major home-court
advantage and anything short of a game-changing event will be a key
missed opportunity for him.”

While Obama is cloistered in Tampa, Fla., veteran Washington lawyer
Greg Craig will play the role of McCain in the debate preparations.
Craig was a member of President Clinton’s defense team during the
impeachment proceedings.

NEW YORK (AP) — Being selected the moderator for a vice
presidential debate is something like opening a suitcase on “Deal or
No Deal” and finding $1,000. Nice prize, but it’s no jackpot.

Not this year. The Oct. 2 showdown between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin
will likely put Gwen Ifill before the biggest TV audience of her life.

Given the extraordinary attention paid to the campaign and Palin’s
surprise selection as John McCain’s running mate, it stands a strong
chance of becoming the most-watched vice presidential debate ever. The
standard was the 56.7 million viewers in 1984, when Geraldine Ferraro
was the first woman ever selected for a major party ticket.

Ifill, moderator of PBS’ “Washington Week” and senior correspondent on
“The NewsHour,” is repeating her role from the 2004 debate between
Dick Cheney and John Edwards. She had never done a debate before that,
and admitted she was nervous about the large audience and all the
people scrutinizing her performance.

The 2004 experience and work before a live audience during a recent
swing of “Washington Week” shows done on the road have toughened her
up.

“The biggest pressure you have as a journalist ever is to make sure
you get an answer to your question,” said Ifill, whose crowded resume
includes The New York Times, The Washington Post and NBC News. “That’s
what I’m focusing on — how to ask questions that elicit answers
instead of spin, or in this case to elicit engagement between the
two.”

The format offers Ifill great freedom. Questions on domestic or
international issues are allowed, and it’s up to her to decide the
mix.

John McCain is scheduled to hold a town hall in Scranton, Pa, before
joining Sarah Palin at a rally in Media, Pa.

“Voting is a two-step process in this country. The difficulty with
young voters has always been getting them to do both steps.” —
Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center at Reed
College in Oregon.

Undecided voters and those who say they might switch candidates
preferred Democrat Barack Obama to be their child’s schoolteacher over
Republican John McCain by 18 percentage points, according to an AP-
Yahoo News survey.

The gwen ifill pbs debate university presidential

Reporters, TV trucks and politicos are swarming to for Thursday’s
much-anticipated vice presidential debate between Republican Sarah
Palin and Democrat Joseph Biden.

By now, university officials are pros at hosting debates. The school
has hosted four presidential debates, more than any other institution.
But this is the first time the university will host a vice
presidential debate.

This year, the university will spend $1.35 million to host the event,
which will be held in the Field House. Corporate sponsors Emerson,
Communications helped defray some of the costs.

AT&T prepared for up to 3,000 members of the media, which will include
CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN and C-SPAN. More than 3,000 members of the
media from 60 countries have been credentialed to cover the debate.

This debate is expected to be even more widely watched than VP debates
in years’ past thanks to the buzz surrounding John
McCain’s surprise pick of Palin.

The 8 p.m. debate will be moderated by Gwen Ifill, moderator and
managing editor of PBS’ “Washington Week” and senior correspondent for
“The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.”

Debate wmc questions in gwen ifill pbs

PBS’s . In fact, as Carole Jenkins, president of the WMC, pointed out
in a recent mailing, “Of the 27 Presidential debates televised
nationally since 1960, only 4 have been moderated by women — the last
being Carole Simpson in 1992 — 16 years ago!”

The WMC lobbied the , who’s moderating the Oct. 15 matchup that’s
being held right in our backyard, at Hofstra, will be accepting
questions for McCain and Obama submitted by the organization.

Right now, WMC is gathering questions from regular folks, and they’ll
send a representative and relevant sample of them along to Schieffer.
The theme for this debate is domestic issues. So . Everyone — both
men and women — is invited. The deadline is tomorrow, Oct. 1, at 5
pm.

Qwen Ifel has many high marks in her long career. This debate is over
and not worth watching because of a financial interest in a book. She
should step aside. Do you really think she will help undecided voters
like myself find anything in this debate? How can it be seen as
neutral? This Debate Commission will go down in history if it allows
this travesty to happen. How can we focus on what is good for the
country when we have to let Quen tell us by her choice of questions.
This is a very sad day for the country.

Sounds like the Right-wing is laying the groundwork for excuses when
Palin BOMBS! Just blame the media, don’t listen to her lame and
frightening answers. One heartbeat away? Scariest thought ever!

Sounds like the Right-wing is laying the groundwork for excuses when
Palin BOMBS! Just blame the media, don’t listen to her lame and
frightening answers. One heartbeat away? Scariest thought ever!

Al davis just win baby’s obama mccain debate

There were no knock-out blows landed, but this was one of the most
high-quality exchanges ever between two American presidential
candidates

It was the debate that was almost swept away by a financial tempest.
But when John McCain and Barack Obama did square up to each other on
Friday night, they produced one of the best, and almost certainly the
most watched, presidential debates ever. How many minds they changed
is another matter. In this battle pitting age against youth,
experience against promise, the two clashed on the economy, Iraq, al-
Qa’ida and Iran. But there was no knock-out blow.

Some snap polls yesterday suggested that Mr McCain was the winner on
points. Others seemed to indicate that Mr Obama had had the better of
the exchanges. Possibly it will go down as a draw – which would
be of more use to the Democrat than the Republican, who is slipping
behind in the race, and in increasing need of what the pundits call a
“game-changer”. At the University of Mississippi, neither man achieved
one.

As was to be expected, Mr Obama was more convincing on the burning
issue of the economy, lambasting Republican laissez faire policies as
responsible for the present debacle, and tying his opponent to George
Bush, the most unpopular president of modern times. Indeed, to bolster
his shaky credentials on matters economic, Mr McCain had threatened to
stay in Washington to help negotiate a rescue package, even if that
meant missing the debate. In the event, no deal emerged, but Mr McCain
turned up nonetheless. And in the final hour of proceedings, it was he
who came across as the more knowledgeable and sure-footed, as the
subject shifted to foreign policy and national security, the
specialities of the former war hero and prisoner in Vietnam during his
26 years on Capitol Hill.

“I’ve looked into Putin’s eyes,” he said of meeting the Russian Prime
Minister, underlining his familiarity and personal dealings with world
leaders, “and I saw three letters: KGB.” Such pithy lines are par for
the McCain course. The winner of a presidential debate is usually the
one that exceeds expectations, however low, while the loser clearly
comes up short. On Friday, taut exchanges abounded, but without real
surprises.

Time and again, Mr McCain hammered his rival for his lack of
experience. “That is a little naive, come on,” he sneered at Mr
Obama’s reiterated readiness to meet hostile foreign leaders such as
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran (whose name, unfortunately, the 72-year-
old Arizona Senator had difficulty in pronouncing). On every question
he produced a variant on his mantra. “Senator Obama doesn’t
understand”, he would say, then “Senator Obama doesn’t get it”, before
uttering with a despairing roll of the eyes that “Senator Obama still
doesn’t understand.”

In fact, his opponent gave pretty much as good as he got. Almost
inevitably, the fiercest argument was over Iraq, with the Republican
mocking his opponent for his doubts about the troop surge that has
brought a measure of stability to the country. In reply, Mr Obama
reminded him that he had opposed the war from the outset. “John, you
like to pretend the war started in 2007,” he hit back at one point.
“The war started in 2003.”

Throughout, Mr Obama was professorial and unflustered, displaying the
hallmark cool which sometimes so irritates his critics. “The key
question was whether Obama would get over the bar as a president and
commander-in-chief,” Norman Ornstein, a veteran political expert at
the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said afterwards.
“That is the key to this election. And I believe he cleared the bar
pretty easily.”

A key question is how Mr McCain’s condescension went down with
viewers. For months, his campaign has portrayed Mr Obama as a wimpish
neophyte, too young and raw to be entrusted with the nation’s
security. Plainly, he scorns his opponent, just as he visibly scorned
his rival Mitt Romney during the primaries. Barely once did he turn to
look at Mr Obama during the 90-minute duel, conducted from behind
lecterns on the bare stage. Throughout, Mr Obama referred to him as
“John”, but for Mr McCain it was always a dry, disdainful “Senator
Obama”. The tactic was designed to emphasise Mr McCain’s gravitas and
qualifications for the Oval Office. It may have worked on Friday
– but hasn’t always done in a similar setting. In his first
debate with George Bush in 2000, for example, Al Gore did not help
himself when he was heard sighing in exasperation at his opponent’s
answers. Polls suggested many voters, particularly women, saw the then
Vice-President as arrogant and rude. Mr McCain may conceivably have
done himself an equal disservice this time.

By and large, however, at least by the usual standards of such
occasions, this was a high-quality debate, setting out clear
differences between two informed and articulate men – even if it
took a while to get going. In the economic portion, Jim Lehrer, the
moderator, almost had to beg the candidates to engage each another
directly. But no one could complain it lacked substance.

There were, of course, evasions. Neither faced up to the bleak truth
that in America’s current economic predicament, some campaign promises
would have to be jettisoned. Mr McCain seemed to be saying that
eliminating wasteful spending would do the trick; Mr Obama stuck to
his promise that tax cuts were on the way for 95 per cent of workers.
It was the Democrat who came nearest to speaking the unspeakable when
he said: “There’s never been a country on earth that saw its economy
decline but maintained its military superiority.”

So where does the debate leave Campaign 2008? Throughout last week, Mr
Obama had been edging ahead, propelled by an economic crisis which
invariably favours the opposition party. A CNN poll found that viewers
by 51 to 38 per cent believed that Mr Obama did better but it will be
days, perhaps, before a clear verdict emerges.

As a rule, the first debate is the most important and most watched
– Friday’s may have drawn a domestic audience of 100 million or
more – as viewers have their first chance to measure up the
choice on offer in November. But this year may be different.

Mr McCain and Mr Obama provided no killer moments: no bullseye barb
that visibly deflates an opponent, no gaffe that reinforces an
existing perception of a candidate (such as the claim in 1976 by
Gerald Ford, who was already regarded as a bit clueless, that Eastern
Europe was not under Soviet domination) – and no single line
that boiled a campaign down to its essence (such as Ronald Reagan’s
simple question during his 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter, “Are you
better off than you were four years ago?”).

But such knockout blows are rare, and debates often have far less
impact on the final outcome than the surrounding hoopla might suggest.
Four years ago, John Kerry slaughtered George Bush in their first
face-off, on foreign policy. Much good it did him. This time the two
presidential debates that lie ahead, in Nashville on 7 October and in
New York eight days later, may be the key to an election that could
still go either way. But there will still be almost three weeks for
mistakes to be corrected before polling day on 4 November. For the
moment, though, it is advantage, narrowly, to Mr Obama. If the
election were held tomorrow, he would probably win. And the longer the
financial crisis persists, the more he is likely to gain from an issue
that traditionally favours Democrats. Mr McCain, by contrast, remains
yoked to Bush on the economy, for all his efforts on Friday to break
the shackle.

But there is still a long way to go, and the choice before American
voters is as stark, and momentous, as any in modern times. On the one
hand is the youth and untested promise of a man who will change the
way the world looks on the US. On the other is a politician of a more
heroic pre-baby boom generation, who would be the oldest man to assume
the presidency. In the debate Mr McCain had no embarrassing “senior
moments”. But his references sometimes betrayed his age – to the
Normandy landings, and to Reagan’s Secretary of State George Shultz,
who few under 50 will have heard of. On Friday in Mississippi, the
20th century was pitted against the 21st. Which man will Americans
prefer? In 37 days’ time, the answer will be known.

Sunday: A poll suggests race may be costing Obama 6 per cent of
potential support among Democrats. Pro-McCain groups target key rust
belt swing state districts with ads highlighting Obama’s ties to his
controversial former pastor, the Rev Jeremiah Wright.

Monday: The McCain camp lashes out at ‘The New York Times’ over claims
that campaign manager Rick Davis was paid $2m to lobby for mortgage
giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The paper is “150 per cent in the
tank for Obama”, a spokesman says.

Tuesday: Sarah Palin debuts on the international stage, meeting world
leaders at the UN, including Pakistan’s Asif Ali Zardari, who calls
her “gorgeous”. Any gain in credibility, however, is wiped out by a
disastrous “deer in the headlights” interview with Katie Couric of CBS
two days later.

Wednesday: An ABC News/ ‘Washington Post’ poll puts Obama ahead by 52
points to 43, the first time either candidate has scored over 50 per
cent. McCain suspends his campaign to return to Washington to deal
with the financial crisis. Some suggest unkindly the two events are
not unconnected, but McCain says he will not take part in Friday’s
debate unless a rescue package has been agreed.

Thursday: Day of chaos in the capital. A bailout deal is almost
reached, before House Republicans revolt against the plan, defying
their own President. Democrats say the rebellion is a gimmick, aimed
at saving face for McCain. Dissident Republicans say Obama is
colluding in a plan to rescue Wall Street fat cats.

Friday: Still no bailout breakthrough as Republicans say they will not
be rolled over. McCain bows to public demands he should take part in
the first candidates’ debate, in Mississippi.

Saturday: The consensus after Friday night’s clash is that neither man
landed a knockout blow. Pundits believe McCain was ahead on points,
though Obama kept up well on foreign affairs, his opponent’s
specialist subject. Snap polls lean towards Obama, with women
apparently disliking McCain’s sarcasm.

Religulous movie’s nader ralph maher

Are you disgruntled with John McCain and Barack Obama as the only
candidates for President? If you see both as just the lesser of two
evils, you may want to tune into the HBO’s premiere of the sixth
season of “Real Time With Bill Maher’ which airs on Friday at 11:00.
Maher will have Ralph Nader, running as an Independent for the White
House with Matt Gonzalez, discussing his candidacy.

Among other guests joining Maher’s show will be Tim Daly, and Lisa
Schiffren while comedian Chris Rock and journalist Ron Suskind will be
interviewed via satellite during the show.

In other Maher related news, the popular television personality is
moving onto the big screen when he brings documentary ‘Religulous’ to
the theaters on October, 3rd.. Maher is a known skeptic of organized
religion and the movie, as you may have already guessd, is a play on
the words “religion” and “ridiculous”. Here is a trailer of the new
film:

Um, I dont get Bill Maher, in 2000 he was actually correct in his
support of Ralph Nader, then in ’04 he goes against Nader and him and
that FAT SOB M. Moore beg Nader to drop out on live TV and Now Bill
Maher is having NADER Back on? Did he finally regain his sense, or is
he going to try to pull another get Nader to drop out TV stunt? Either
Way as Long As NADER is on TV and gets to Make his points to millions
of viewers I think that is GREAT! I am also going to See Ralph Nader
speak tonight after his appearance on B. mahers show. Ralph is
speaking at the SOCIAL Club in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. tonight at
9:30pm! I will be there and I would encourage others to be there as
well. There is a $25 dollar minimum donation which I think is more
than fair, since NADER needs our support. It will be my first time
seeing Ralph Nader speak live and I cannot wait! The address is 6525
West Sunset Boulevard Hollywood Ca 90028 @ the Social Club 9:30pm. Now
all we gotta do is get Ralph Nader to be included in the Presidential
Debates – Oh wait, the debate commitee is Ran By a Republican and A
Democrat – They dont want real competition to disrupt there Two Party
Duopoly System – Imagine RALPH NADER the Anti-BIG Business American
Hero on Stage with Two Big Business Corporate War Mongers on a TV Show
put together by BIG Business WAR Mongering Corporations! Ralph Nader
would not only blow them two dimwits away he would blow the American
people away and become our next president by A Landslide Victory! If
Only We Lived in A TRULY FREE Democratic America!

Nader was great on this show! thanks to bill maher for getting nader
on after the debates. the crowd were cheering for nader often times
after nader would make a point. i was ready for ralph to get ridiculed
by everyone, but that did not happen. nader’s sharp wit flummoxed lisa
schiffren, “if you give ’em enough rope…”. haha, excellent stuff!!
tim daly wasn’t so bad, hopefully he had some good discussions with
nader.

Questions google debates in google

I don’t know if I am slightly abnormal or just more politically
interested than most, but I generally enjoy watching the presidential
debates. I like seeing the candidates put on the hot-seat, even though
I know fully-well that they’ve been prepped and have seared
scripted responses into their memories. Sometimes they are caught off
guard and that’s exciting, but haven’t you ever wondered
just how much more cool it would be if the public – i.e. the people
electing the candidates – got to toss in a few questions of their own?

In rushes Google to the rescue! As Barack Obama and John McCain were
engaged in a war of words Friday evening, Google a new tool – Google
Moderator – which is aimed at making that possible – if the Commission
of Presidential Debates ever decides to go down that path.

“A free tool which enables communities to submit and vote on
questions for debates, presentations and events. This way, the best
and most representative questions rise to the top”

Since Moderator’s launch last week, 1,278 people have
contributed 578 questions and cast 24,774 votes in the “2”
series, which includes questions on a range of categories. What I find
most interesting about this is the way that the most popular questions
rise to the top, and chances are if a question is getting a lot of
votes, it’s something on the mind of many Americans.