Jim Lehrer, Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer named to honcho this year's presidential debates

Remember last year, when sponsors of the numerous debates featuring the then-crowded presidential fields in both major parties looked for innovative ways to enliven and redefine the forums? The most obvious examples were the YouTube/CNN debates, with questions from an assortment of regular folks (and, in some cases, eccentrics) that occasionally caught the candidates off-guard or left them nonplussed.

Well, that was then and this is now, as underscored by the announcement today from the Commission on Presidential Debates of the moderators for this fall's faceoffs. Top-notch professionals all, but none likely to push the envelope of the tried-and-true format.

Here's the lineup:

Friday, Sept. 26
The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
Jim Lehrer (PBS)

Vice presidential debate
Thursday, Oct. 2
Washington University, St. Louis
Gwen Ifill (PBS)

Second presidential debate (town meeting)
Tuesday, Oct. 7
Belmont University, Nashville
Tom Brokaw (NBC)

Third presidential debate
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.
Bob Schieffer (CBS)

Also of note is the scheduling of the opening debate. Traditionally, it's the most-watched, with viewership declining -- sometimes substantially -- for the ones that follow. But with much of America occupied by high school football games on autumnal Friday nights -- or tempted by other diversions at the start of the weekend -- the much-ballyhooed excitement about this year's campaign may not be reflected in the ratings for the first forum.

The initial debate in 2004 between President Bush and John Kerry -- hosted by Lehrer -- aired on a Thursday night.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Scootmandubious]

ABC must be miffed. No George and Chuck follies?

I was so looking forward to them asking Senator Obama if he thinks, as Senator McCain suggests, that he can walk on water.

I also wanted to hear them ask McCain, how he handles the pressure of always standing up for what he believes is right, even when his record shows him supporting George Bush 95% of the time.

I suppose Mr. Stephanopolous and Mr. Gibson will just have to wait until Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears are ready to do a sit-down, though I suspect that will not go over so well with Barbara Walters.

[3 Blind mice]

Not those 3 liberal democrats again,already.Why did they
not give one of the fox people at least one debate?Guess
theese picks fill our Don Frederick with joy.

[dave]

a lot can happen, things can change. the whole bubble of this attempted putsch can burst way before those scheduled events, so that's all futile speculation.

[AAAAANDRE]

I'd like to see John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group as a moderator...

After the candidates give their answers he'd bellow his trademark "WRONG!!!" and give us the right answer. ;-)