Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A debate worth watching

By Libby

I pretty much gave up on watching the presidential debates after about the third media event. I found the formats uninformative and downright annoying, little more than an excuse to give the preening media elite 'moderators' more air time. However, the Des Moines Register's events this week sound more tempting.

[Carolyn] Washburn, editor of The Des Moines Register, which is cosponsoring the Republican debate today and Democratic forum tomorrow, has been boning up on the contenders for nearly a year, reading their books, scouring other media for stories about them, and sharing private lunches and more formal office meetings with candidates eager for the Iowa newspaper's influential endorsement.

And it will be Washburn alone who will moderate the nationally televised debates and ask all the questions, following Register tradition since the paper started hosting presidential debates in 1980.

A well versed and meticulously prepared moderator sounds pretty good to me. The GOP debate will be starting soon. I think I'll tune in. They will also be archived for those who are stuck working today. Find your viewing options here.

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