abb3w: Maybe be evil and simply book both Romeny and Obama for an interview in the same time slot, then do a gotcha on them....

That would be epic, and probably immediately followed by a petulant Romney walking offstage.

DamnYankees: I_C_Weener: DamnYankees: Guys, big news - Mia Farrow is on board:

mia farrow @MiaFarrow
Good choice MT @AnnieLowrey: CNN's Candy Crowley to be the first female presidential debate moderator since ABC's' Carole Simpson in 1992.

Wasn't Gwen Ifil more recent than that?

Did she do the VP debate?

Ah. Got it. Maybe it was on SNL that she was asking questions of the candidates.

mrshowrules: She's as straight shooter. She's like a less smarmy version of John King.

john king is a GOP enabler who's angling for a fox news gig. he's a terrible, terrible debate moderator. during the primaries, he let so many bullshiat answers go past without challenging them, it was embarrassing.

Hmmmm. Too bad there are no established formats for debates that would eliminate the posturing and avoidance of politicians.

Would have loved to see Obama rip through her [questions] like small pox in an aboriginal population.

Coco LaFemme: "President Obama, why did you campaign in 2008 as a liberal

Obama campaigned as a liberal in 2008?

abb3w: NewportBarGuy: I'd prefer this woman:

Indeed.

Alas, Jim Lehrer kinda trumps on seniority, and two of the four being from PBS would raise too many eyebrows. It would be wonderful, however.

For the giggle value, I hope Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert will try and push for an additional co-moderated debate on Comedy Central. Maybe be evil and simply book both Romeny and Obama for an interview in the same time slot, then do a gotcha on them....

I would love to see Ryan or Romney agree to an interview with Stewart. There's no way it would happen, but it would have the potential to be glorious.

Name_Omitted: Sybarite: Call me when they go back to being actual debates run by an independent body rather than carefully managed stage show the RNC and DNC agree to put on every four years.

No kidding. Let's bring Lyse Doucet over from the BBC, and giver her the ability to ask as many followup questions as she sees fit to actually get questions answered.

Heck, bring over that woman from Weakest Link.

DamnYankees: I_C_Weener: Sybarite: Call me when they go back to being actual debates run by an independent body rather than carefully managed stage show the RNC and DNC agree to put on every four years.

Let them ask questions of each other. And possibly give them each one free punch.

This is what I'd like to see. The moderator would still be there, and he would set the parameters for general topics - 15 minutes on the budget deficit, for example. Then you let them ask each other questions.

Romney would say no...because he'd fold under questioning.

Coco LaFemme: "President Obama, why did you campaign in 2008 as a liberal, when you never governed as one the last four years?"

Notsureifyourserious.jpg

Mr. President, I have only one question for you. Its a question that has been on my mind, and the minds of many Americans for a long time, and its a question that you have been asked again and again, and failed to answer.

Mr. President:

Where is your birth certificate? Where?

*drops mic*

bullwrinkle: Hardly. While I haven't see Ryan in a debate I believe he is smart, articulate and won't be intimidated by Biden.

Yep. The VP debate will be very interesting. I think to educated people watching, Biden will walk away with it. However, Ryan will keep his cool and spout enough BS that the debate will be considered a draw. As entertaining as the debates will likely be, I'd love it if they would just let the candidates directly ask question back and forth, with the moderator just guiding the subject matter. Either that or at least have a moderator that's willing to say "that's not the question and has nothing to do with what I asked".

thornhill: I expect Romney to get his ass handed to him in the debates. In the primary debates and really throughout this race, he continues to be totally unprepared for questions he should have known were going to be asked, and he becomes flustered so easily.

Damn near every interview I see with Romney goes the same way. The interviewer asks about Romney's history, or some controversial part of his platform, and the only response is "Obama has ruined the country and we need him to leave". He absolutely refuses to even defend his own policies or history.

Gosling: Candy Crowley? Really? That's the best they could get? If they were trying for a woman, I mean, I know they couldn't get someone overly outspoken even if it's someone like Rachel Maddow, but... what about, for example, Isha Sesay?

Alex Wagner.



[yum]

Dwight_Yeast: So we're getting a total of four debates this year -two Presidential and two Veep?

Well, that sucks on wheels.

3 Presidential (one of which is town hall style), 1 Veep