Schieffer should be replaced. He is not an honest jornalist.

Bob Schieffer: "I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean-"

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: "Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President."

Schieffer created the idea that riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down was a qualification and all Wes Clark did was disagree that it was relevant to being President. The fact that Schieffer then went out there and characterized it as an attack by Clark on McCain's military service made me lose all respect for him. It was a cheap and sleazy thing to do for ratings and Schieffer should apologize.

All the debates should be on PBS and NPR. They are the only fora which treat the debates as something other than a freak show. That said, if we have to run debates on the NBC and CBS, Schieffer and Brokaw are better than the alternatives (just imagine - if you can suppress the shudder - the obvious alternative of Couric and Matthews).

You mean Couric's not getting a debate. Too bad. I think if you gave Obama another hour or so to talk to her, she might start to understand that the election isn't a referendum on the surge.

It's about damn time Clinton got her ass out on the campaign trail.

They should swap Schieffer and Ifill on the scheduling.

Schieffer should be the one moderating the VP debate.

Bob Schieffer: "Senator McCain, how did you get to be so mavericky and awesome? Also, did you know that you were a POW?"

I think Obama should double the Olympic ad buy. He can afford it.

In an unrelated topic, why Obama doesn't visit Alaska? The timing couldn't be better.

Obama said that he IS going to visit Alaska. My understanding that he is going there.

why as a lifetime Democrat, am I not supporting Obama?
If I worked and served the people in the 13th District in Chicago, I would have known all of the players. And to win that district, would I have gamed the system to run unopposed? Tony Rezko would not have had a seat at my table. Either Obama is a fool and is blind to what should have been obvious, or someone like Tony is fine by Obama's standards. The guy is a
dirtball. And a dirtball would not be part of my circle, certainly not my inner circle. I would rather not be elected than associate with someone like
Rezko.

I would not choose Rev. Wright, Rev. Meeks, or Father Plager as my spiritual mentors, not for political reasons or any other reason. Again, he is either blind or an opportunist. Would I be hanging out with Mr. Ayers? Would you?
Would you refuse to be photographed with Gavin Newsom? There is a pattern with this guy - he manipulates; and for him the ends justify the means. He lacks character.

Getting not one bill passed in the first 6 years of his career in not inspiring. Having Emil Jones hand him the ball 26 times on the one-yard line
in order to make Obama a United States Senator does not cut it either. What deals he made, he did to benefit no one but himself. He never worked long enough in either Senate to help the people who elected him. Andy, I could
never imagine you taking credit for legislation someone else slaved over. Starting in his community organizing days he claimed sole responsibility for other people's accomplishments all for the purpose to boosting his career.

In terms of the campaign itself, witness his methods up close. During the primaries I was in 6 states, 2 of which had caucuses; it was not clean. El Paso was a joke with the Obama campaign stealing the caucus packets, locking supporters out - Intimidation 101, 102 and 103. Fair elections do not seem to be a priority in my birth state. No other machine exists from the days of Boss Tweed, but Chicago's. How many elected officials are in jail? They are
the joke of the nation. It is called the Chicago machine for good reason.

It was clear that this experience was not a fluke or isolated incidents, but coordinated, deliberate and arrogant. I got to see him and his organization for who he is and what it is - not inspiring, to say the least. Not something I would have, in business, endorsed in any way. In fact, I would most likely have reported them to the appropriate regulators.

Does it not bother you that a guy like Obama can serve a poor district and give away a paltry $1000 to charity? He only stepped up his giving when he decided to run for President and he knew his charitable giving would be made public.
How could anyone see that much misery and not try to personally do something about it?

Please, show me something this guy ever did that was not done in a calculated fashion to create and advance his own personal narrative?
Something selfless, perhaps, just because it was the right thing to do.

Every person who worked at the Law Review at Harvard with him, or in the latter part of his career, said the same thing: he was arrogant and
self-centered. One person laughed, saying Obama wanted to be King of the World, that he was always running for something, never staying in one place long enough to amass accomplishments or be held accountable.

Do you not you find it troublesome that he has hundreds of paid bloggers, posting vicious attacks not only about the Clintons but her supporters as well? The whole purpose was to cast him as the second coming, while trashing her and quashing other points of view.

At first I thought is was just some hyped up kids, and then a pattern emerged. He paid others to do his dirty work. The most egregious sexist
cracks were rampant, both on the Internet and the MSM. Yet, what did Howard and Obama say? Nothing. Obama promoted it, paid his bloggers to write it.
Never once did he try to stop it. Howard, after the damage was done finally commented on it, but barely. Wink,wink.

You know I consider myself a centrist. The right wing of the Republican Party scares me, but so does the left. Ideologues of either side should not have control simultaneously of the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of the government. Absolute power corrupts, be it on the left or the right. Ha, but you will say.. the courts. If you have the legislative branch, all will be fine. McCain voted Ginsberg in, he is not a stupid man and certainly not an Ideologue, and he took heat in the primaries for refusing to have a litmus test for judges. And need I remind you that Obama thought Roberts was an acceptable appointment until some more experienced hands in the Senate
told him that would not do?

Painting him as Bush 3 is a little annoying, and what's up with the MoveOn Baby Alex commercial? Give credit where credit is due. McCain went against his own party twice on immigration reform, on ethanol subsidies, and campaign finance reform. He started talking about Global warming 8 years ago. I don't agree with McCain on a number of topics, but I do believe he has principals and a backbone. He is not willing to just say anything to get elected.

I can't say the same for Obama who is turning out to be more like Bush than McCain; Obama is at least as arrogant as W, just more polished. Are you not ashamed, in these past weeks, of his reckless abandon of any pretense to a moral center on issues such as FISA, separation of church and state, gun control? And what he did to one of my heroes, Wes Clark? Insulting my
intelligence and my standards will not win me over.

But, in this conversation, you will say, McCain wants to be in Iraq for 100 years. No, he said that as in Japan, or Korea, we could have a presence. We have been in both of those countries for 60 years and not leaving any time soon, and the world is safer for it.

Next will be, McCain is not knowledgeable about the economy. While with Carly Fiorina, at a town meeting he turned the microphone over to Carly
when asked about the mortgage mess, painting her as the expert. Wow - he gave a woman a compliment, praising her knowledge, referring to her as the expert. How often have you praised Charles, or me, and everyone for that matter? Why? Because you are gracious and you know it reflects well on you.

Oilbama voted for Dick Cheney's Big Oil Energy Bill crafted in private with Oil Lobbyists. Bothe Hillary and McCain voted against it. It is the worst Energy Bill in History and the reason Gas is 4$ a gallon.

Now as he was the most Liberal voter in thye Senate during the couple of days he served there before he ran for President, he has Flip Flopped on Fisa, on Offshore drilling, on using the Petroleum strategic reserve, and many other things in his mad dash to the right. He is the King of Flip Flop. The huge problem with this pansy Barack Obama, is that he changes his
positions anytime it is politicaly expedient. McCain changed his position on this issue when it was unpopular to change. Obama is changing, because it is popular to change. Axelrod is shamelessly turning Obama into his little
marketing puppet. That's why the DNC hated Hillary. She was a leader not a follower or a manipulator. Obama is way too indecisive to lead America in this time of economic and energy crisis.See the chair on Obama's plane. It says President. Then there is the O on the tail of the plane that has replaced the flag of the United States. Then there was the faux Presidential seal. And on and on. I remain perplexed why
someone would use such presumptuous symbolism, and does not have the common sense to realize that such symbols inevitably backfire. But of course Drug users (Cokeheads) have psych issues. These people leave their drugs, but hatever issue they have remains. Bush and Obama we know were drug users. We've seen the results of one addictive personality in the WH, and now the
Democrats want equal time by giving the voters another addictive personality candidate. Maybe that's why BO has not released his medical records. BO must release his medical records immediatly so we can see how warped he really is. Hs addiction to drugs reminds me of Bush. We do not need another 4 years of an exdruggie president.

All this might not bother me so much if the stakes where not so high, but they are. I am an issues person, not a cult of personality devotee.
Substance matters. Barack is a politician, an inexperienced one at that, pretending he is different. I just see him as arrogant and power hungry. Our country deserves better, someone I would be proud to do business with.

Nobama Never

McCain 08 then Hillary 12

I was wondering the same thing as others here. Do we know the debate formats yet? Moderator gets to ask their own questions? They select from "prospective voter" questions? Ordinary folks get to step up to the mic and ask whatever they want? Another youtube debate? Hehehe.

Absolutely! A Stewart/Colbert moderated debate would be WONDERFUL! And not just because of the funny prospects. I actually think Jon Stewart in particular is one of the better *serious* interviewers we've got on television today.

Does anyone know what person is talking about what policy? Who's the moderator for Foreign policy and which ones are for domestic policy?

Format The format for the debates, announced on November 21, 2007, will be:

-- Each debate will have a single moderator and last for 90 minutes.
-- In the first and third presidential debates and the vice presidential debate, the candidates will be seated with the moderator at a table.
-- One presidential debate will focus primarily on domestic policy and one presidential debate will focus primarily on foreign policy. The second presidential debate will be held as a town meeting in which citizens will pose questions to the candidates. The vice presidential debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics.
-- During the first and third presidential debates, and the vice presidential debate, the time will be divided into eight, ten-minute segments. The moderator will introduce each segment with an issue on which each candidate will comment, after which the moderator will facilitate further discussion of the issue, including direct exchange between the candidates for the balance of that segment.
-- The participants in the town meeting will pose their questions to the candidates after reviewing their questions with the moderator for the sole purpose of avoiding duplication. The participants will be chosen by the Gallup Organization and will be undecided voters from the Nashville, Tenn. standard metropolitan statistical area. During the town meeting, the moderator has discretion to use questions submitted by Internet.
-- Time at the end of the final presidential debate will be reserved for closing statements.

Participants The CPD 2008 Candidate Selection Criteria, announced on November 21, 2007, will be the exclusive means of determining the candidates to be invited to participate in the debates.

The first debate is on domestic policy which is Jim Lehrer.

The 2nd debate is a townhall one by Tom Brokaw.

The last debate is foreign policy by Scheiffer.

If the format is for the moderators to present the topics and the candidates to mix it up, Schieffer may not be able to screw it up too much.

Brokaw should be OK on the town hall format; sounds like the moderator just reads the questions. Tom can handle that (although he is no Alex Trebec.)

Do the debate rules permit Lieberman to whisper corrections into McCain's ear?

Schieffer on Foreign Policy? Great....

We'll get questions like?

"Senator Obama, you opposed the surge, why did you impugn John McCain's patriotism?"

Schieffer and Brokaw are both old has beens that need to retire. They are openly biased and their social beliefs date back to the 60's. Their representation is exactly why Obama was reluctant for additonal debates along with the recognition that he felt his time would be best spent meeting as many people as he could before Nov. 4. I think neutral professors of English, Political Science or Journalism would make ideal monitors.
Keep all these bought and paid for TV newscaster
out of the picture. Charles Gibson was an absolute digrace to the profession.