This oughta be a nightmare for McShame & Co.

I look forward to Obama explaining one more time that being a POW is not a qualification to be POTUS.
Obama will eat McGrandpa for lunch.

From the WSJ:

Absent from this line-up is anyone from ABC News, which drew negative reviews last spring when anchors Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos devoted the lion's share of a Democratic primary debate to campaign controversies rather than major issues.

"Although we are disappointed, all of the moderators they have chosen are well qualified, and we look forward to bringing the debates to the American public," an ABC spokesman said in a statement.

Commission executive director Janet Brown says the exclusion of ABC was "emphatically not" related to the Democratic debate. The organization's 11-member executive board selected the moderators based on three criteria: knowledge of the candidates and relevant issues; experience in live news broadcasting; and understanding that a moderator's role is to facilitate conversation between the candidates, not participate in it.

Ms. Brown also says the board observes an informal policy of not selecting sitting evening news anchors as moderators. During the 2004 election cycle, Mr. Schieffer, Mr. Lehrer, Ms. Ifill and Mr. Gibson, then anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America" moderated the four debates, which drew between 40 million and 60 million viewers each.

Ifill can be good, but also weak, alas. Lehrer's the best of the lot. None of them deals with liars that well. Anyway, the lineup could be much worse.

Expect to hear the word "surge" 457 times (and that's just the first debate!).

why are the making the woman moderate the VP debate?
are there no women important enough to moderate a President debate?

Of course the drinking game for the debates is you take a sip when McCain says a line and then repeats it. You chug when he says, "my friends". Let's see who is the last viewer standing.

After seeing how Sen Obama handled that talk about the tire gauge incident yesterday, I would imagine McCain isn't as eager to debate him as he once may have been.

Actually there will be only three presidential debates, one of these is the vice presidential candidate's debate.

Decent choices for moderators. Thank God that Gibson troll is off the short list, apparently. What a Republican whore.

McGrampa's entire debate will consist of a noun, a verb, and "The Surge".

Why couldn't Obama have a WiFi laptop on his lectern, so while Buffalo Chip McCain is distorting and lying his ass of Obama can google the facts right away and counterattack.

Will these debates be on all news channels or just cable news channels?

Lol. How many times will we hear: hero, surge, my friends, experience?

GLAD to see ABC excluded. I can't wait to NOT see Stephanopolous acting like the big tough guy he wants people to think he is. Ditto on Gibson, with his aloof over-the-eyeglasses schtick. It's too bad Brokaw is so blinkered, but it could be worse, and Schieffer will likely be the best non-PBS debate.

Obama has been handling combative hecklers at his campaign stops fine, so I think he'll be able to handle Brokaw and Schieffer alright.

I wonder how many questions Insean Vannity will have asked via proxy.

a debate with YouTube will sink the mccain campaign many of his followers are in denial and very foolish especially low-middle class....high-upper econ. don't care about this nonsense they just want that extended bush tax credits

How many times will we hear "drill here, drill now, pay later." I see a bunch of bumper stickers on vehicles down here in Texas. Damn, how many rigs do we have in the water?

I just realized - nothing west of the Mississippi River... howcum?

Also... NO FOX NEWS. I'm sure we'll hear grumblings that the "librul media" has taken over the debates.

When mcsame starts one of his rants about drilling off-shore and waves his arms about and tries ever so hard to act really mad, I think of a very old man ranting at the neighbor kids because they have kicked the ball into his yard. This senile old man is sadly funny and embarassing at the same time. Is this what the repugs really want sitting in the White House with the "button" within his reach? But then we all know mcsame won't be in charge, the strings will be pulled by Cheney-like thugs in the background.

Captain Bitter Whiner Husein Kangaroo @ 3:

I look forward to Obama explaining one more time that being a POW is not a qualification to be POTUS.
Obama will eat McGrandpa for lunch.

I think I'll skip eating on that day. I couldn't take the taste of more Mc shit..

pissed off patricia @ 4:

How are we to expect Schieffer to be fair after that insane comment he made that made it sound like McCain deserved to be president because he had been shot down? The good thing is that Lehrer is doing the first one and I imagine that will be the one most people will tune in to see.

Tom is destroying the reputation Meet the Press has always had on Sunday mornings. Tom seems very much into himself as of late.

Tom has been very much into himself ever since he had a book published.

Presidential Debate Schedule Set, Moderators Chosen

Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulis?

yeah nothing past the miss. river, good job shitheads.

The League of Women Voters. What ever happened to them? I would think they should sponsor a debate.

SSG burnt @ 11:

why are the making the woman moderate the VP debate?
are there no women important enough to moderate a President debate?

How about she moderate the presidential debates?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHaXPV5t95M

I wouldn't get too all fired up about these. Obama is a great speaker, but not such a great debater. I certainly hope he has worked on his skills since the VP debates.

Brokaw has me totally perplexed. After seeing him on Letterman a few times and on other programs I expected a lot more from him on MTP. He has really let me down. Maybe he has turned into an old man defending another old man. Who knows?

So ABC was shut out. Good! Those gotcha questions were an insult to the American people. I could give a crap about Rev, Wright and all that other bullshit. I truly belive the MSM thinks we are brain-dead serfs.

Ron @ 52:

O.T. but the cover up on the anthrax attacks continues. "BREAKING!"

link?

Jo @ 57:

Ron @ 52:

O.T. but the cover up on the anthrax attacks continues. "BREAKING!"

link?

Breaking on Faux CNN and MSNBC.

Dr. Hussein Matt @ 46:

doctormidnight @ 45:

yeah nothing past the miss. river, good job shitheads.

St. Louis is west of the Mississippi River.

by a few microns

P.D. @ 62:

Ron@52. I don't know what to believe. Althogh it is obvious the FBI hounded this guy. And I heard(although I don't know if it's true) they offered his son big bucks to implacate him. So, I don't know what to think anymore about this criminal administation.

After almost 7 years, I think cover up.

It's so easy to blame a man who is now dead. Now the FBI will close the book and it will get slipped under the rug.

Dan Rather should have been able to do one. He has reestablished himself as a reliable reporter.

pissed@67, I haven't seen Dan since CBS threw him under the bus. But anybody other then Stanop(however you spell it) and Gibson.

hazmaq @ 70:

Have you heard Gwenn lately? Or how about McLaughlin?

This ain't the old fair and balanced PBS you used to know.

This is the same Bush/Corporate Sonsored PBS that gave you Richard Perle's Documentary on Sadaam and all his terrorist connections to Al-Qaeda and WMD's, aired in prime time - as the season opener to the PBS series Wide Angle, in July of 2002.

If they're so great why wasn''t Bill Moyer selected, or Tavis Smiley?

And Schiefer/CBS, the one just caught by Olbermann for altering McCain's words to make him look better??

But I'm sure MCain mastery of all things willovercome Obama's inexperience... HA HA A AHH HAH HA HHAHHA HAHA OH THATS FUNNIEE ,...HA H.A....A.HAHA.HAHA...

Good suggestion on Moyers, he would be outstanding. I hope Mc Lamo blows a gasket on one of the debates. I don't think it would take much. He reminds me of a volcano ready to erupt.

For those of you who think these things actually make a damned bit of difference:

Remember how Bush totally owned Kerry in the debates? How Kerry came off as a whining spoiled child and Bush came off as being Presidential?

Remember? Those debates Totally swung the vote in Bush's favor, because he rocked so damn hard.

Am I alone?
I think Jim Lehrer single-handily gave the Presidency to Bush with his... soft drawl allowing Bush to lieee-lie-lie-little-lie... and get away with it!

If ever was a year for Jon Stewart to moderate....
;o)

Why is it that most of these debates are always held in red states? I mean, talk about bias...

Captain Bitter Whiner Husein Kangaroo @ 78:

Geraldo @ 73:

For those of you who think these things actually make a damned bit of difference:

Remember how Bush totally owned Kerry in the debates? How Kerry came off as a whining spoiled child and Bush came off as being Presidential?

Remember? Those debates Totally swung the vote in Bush's favor, because he rocked so damn hard.

Yeah, that is because Gore was not prepared. Do you remember when Gore was explaining his Social Security plan and Bush said “Sounds like fuzzy math?” It is really too bad that Gore didn’t say “It may be fuzzy math for somebody with your lack of brain power but I’m sure the sixth graders in the audience easily understand the basic 1+1 =2 math that I just explained.”

No, it should have been "That's the type of confused response I expect from a "C" student."

PorridgeGun @ 77:

Why is it that most of these debates are always held in red states? I mean, talk about bias...

that's a good point and nothing out west

Get ready, get set, go.....This should be interesting.

And we shall call them, "CFR Clusterfuck to the White House."

Brought to you by the Council on Foreign Relations, sponsored by CFR member corporations (Exxon, BP, Shell, Halliburton, McDonalds, CocaCola), with CFR moderators, and featuring both candidates as members of the CFR.

Too bad most Americans are too stupid to know what's going on in their own country.

I hate this place.

hm. no FOX moderators. Interesting. I'm sure its a DEMOCRAT CONSPIRACY!!

C'mon Cletus, lets git our poster board and markers out, its time fer sum protestin'!

(incidentally, just broke my leg and I'm on heavy prescription narcotics - as I like to call them Rushbo delights - the accent depicted in this post is meant in jest, for those of you who actually speak in this manner I mean no offence. For those named Cletus - same deal. Those who watch FOX news, well.... this is pretty much aimed straight at you, jackhole.)

Dan Rather
"He currently works for HD Net, a high-definition television channel."
NYT

Yeah, I'm really hoping for a debate on this side of Ol' Miss.
On the subject, though, it's a great thing that neither ABC or Fox were chosen, as they are consistently and corporately much more partisan than NBC or CBS.

If there are more, I nominate two possiblities:

1st choice: Pacifica Radio (hosted by Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now!, and Sonali Kolhatkar, of Uprising Radio)

Since the two parties and the networks seem to have a bias against female journalists acting as moderators,

2nd choice: Comedy Central (Hosted by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, in character)

Won't be as earth-shaking as choice #1, but could produce a) high ratings and interest in the election, and b) higher voter turnout (though #1 would, also - just of a different demographic).

Thing is, what about the greens and the Libs?

America is ready for these debates right now, not the end of September and for a week or so. The damned media has had this fricken thing going for over a year and these candidates are ready to face each other. Either that, or the all need to just STFU from now till the debates, i am so sick of the daily nausea.

I'd like to get back to having the League of Women Voters moderating the debates. They weren't in it for the entertainment value and actually seemed to want voters to be informed. The League also isn't owned by corporate America.

archmunster @ 94:

Medford Tim @ 92:

"It’s a safe bet that Lehrer will be the most balanced of the moderators, although Ifill should fit nicely in the town hall format and keep it real"

It is obvious from this that you have NOT been watching PBS for quite some time. Maybe even four years because if you had, you would have seen the EXACT SAME Republican talking points being served up on both the News Hour and Washington Week as is presented on FOX and by Conservatives in general without ANY challenges being presented.

Bill Moyers would have been a much better choice than ANY of these.

Exactly. I guess C&L missed this report from FAIR on NewsHour

Oh wait, I take that back...not only did they know about it they blogged about it in an entry entitled: FAIR: Lehrer News Hour? Not so fair

They're all second rate. Lehrer, notwithstanding his PBS contract, is perhaps the worst of them all because one expects him to be fair. Think back to 2000; he was appalling/bizarre in his questioning of Gore. He was either paid off or drank the neo-con koolaid. Gwen Ifill was a Bush booster for years; I don't think she's changed her tune. Perhaps she'd be afraid of becoming ordinary if Obama were to win. I'm almost as old as Tom and Bob. They're just hanging on - like me.

Archmunster:

"If Gwen Ifill isn’t supporting Obama it’s got nothing to do with her and everything to do with PBS and the rest of the corporate owned media"

How can you say this with such certainty? Do you believe every black person should vote for Obama? My diversified neighborhood is not completely in lockstep. I think for some people it's important to feel that they don't have to vote for Obama. I meant nothing more than that. For me, it's either Democrat or Green - both black candidates. It's a colorful time we're in, no? black/green/blue/red...

Apple @ 99:

Archmunster:

"If Gwen Ifill isn’t supporting Obama it’s got nothing to do with her and everything to do with PBS and the rest of the corporate owned media"

How can you say this with such certainty? Do you believe every black person should vote for Obama? My diversified neighborhood is not completely in lockstep. I think for some people it's important to feel that they don't have to vote for Obama. I meant nothing more than that. For me, it's either Democrat or Green - both black candidates. It's a colorful time we're in, no? black/green/blue/red...

okay maybe i misunderstood you, but it sounded like you were saying she didn't want obama to win because he's black and therefore she would no longer be such a unique presence on the national scene...which makes her sound really petty and small minded (even dumb).

as far as what i was saying is concerned...."do [I] believe every black person should vote for Obama?" That is not what I was saying. What I said was "If Gwen Ifill isn't supporting Obama it's got nothing to do with her and everything to do with PBS and the rest of the corporate owned media"... I wasn't even remotely suggesting that, if not for corporate owned media, of course, Gwen Ifill, a black woman, would support Obama. I was saying that whatever her real views are, they have nothing to do with what she says on TV--those are owned by the corporations that own PBS.

If the day comes when mainstream media begins to shift its support to the Green party (not that Obama is even remotely a Green, but then neither is he a 100% corporatist--maybe 95% to McCain's 100), for example, I'll have to re-evaluate this position. But until then, sorry, but it's just the obvious truth.

For a long time, I've been wondering about Brokaw. Once upon a long time ago, prior to the government's anthrax attacks, he always struck me as being a little more independent, as having some small measure of integrity. Since the government sponsored anthrax terror campaign, he's been a rabid, neocon lap puppy. Lesson learned? Now, I wouldn't trust that douche bag to tell me the time of day.

Gwen Ifill strikes me as being a GOPer operative, too. I don't trust her at all, after listening to her on PBS/NPR.

I hope Obama has learned enough about dealing with sociopaths by that time that he doesn't shy away from smacking these guys down when they have it coming to them.

I'd like to see Bill Moyer do the post debate analyses.

These "debates" will change nobody's mind at that late date. From a strictly PR standpoint if the networks really wanted ratings they would have picked Stewart/Colbert as moderators and let them ask the hard questions, they are the only ones (besides Moyers) that do so.