Exacting Detail Behind Presidential Debate

[Zorra]

By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer

SPRING GREEN, Wis. - There is a lot of fine print in the document spelling out rules for the debates between President Bush (news - web sites) and Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites).
snip
The aim was "to create an even playing field for the president who has far less experience debating, than his opponent who is essentially a career debater," she said. "The other objective was to curtail grandstanding and filibustering, something many great debaters rely upon."

Viewers watching at home may not see such breaches in etiquette this year because, according to an agreement between the two campaigns, the cameras must stay fixed on the candidate answering the question posed by the moderator. A Democratic official said it's a detail added by Bush's negotiators.

A Republican who was privy to the debate negotiations said the Bush camp's aim had been to take away some of Kerry's strengths, such as the former prosecutor's ability to move about.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=2&u=/ap/20040929/ap_on_el_pr/presidential_debate

Bu$h is such a wuss. He gets special privileges all his life and now he even gets them in the Presidential debates.

Bu$h is a sad and pathetic public figure. This would be hilarious if it wasn't so pitiful.

[Stephanie]

1. BUT, Bush is forbidden from standing on a riser to make him taller!

LOL, it's so funny! Vernon Jordan got that in the contract. I hope they check his shoes.

[David Dunham]

2. Kerry did get Bush to agree to stand up, not sit down.

The presidential debates commission had proposed sit down debates.

[shraby]

3. With the restriction on the height of the

lectern at 50 inches, if shrub doesn't have a stool to stand on, he'll still look shorter. BWaaaahahhhaahaha

[Zorra]

4. Yuh. So instead, they have them stand what might as well be a football

field apart.

Now why can't these guys just debate like you might expect real men to do?

Oh yeah, *snicker*, Bu$h....

Bwaaahaaahaaahaaahaaa!

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Unbelievable, and, should be, unacceptable, to both press and public!

But we as a nation have entered Bush bizarro world --