A Forum for Only Half the Field.. (as of yet, unofficial)

[Tellurian]

"The Aug. 22 event planned at UNR is co-sponsored by the Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution and ABC News. In an attempt to give candidates more time to discuss issues, organizers have invited only the top four in the national polls - Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.; Obama and Richardson.

None of the campaigns has responded to the invitations sent Friday.

"We don't want to have a debate, and we don't want to have sound bites," said Melissa Skolfield, spokeswoman for the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan public policy think tank. "What we would like to offer the candidates is a chance to talk for 20 or 30 minutes about the issues."

....the debates candidates are becoming the new "reality tv"... we'll soon find out, who's in and who's out.

[Tellurian]

1. Glad to see Richardson was also invited.. nt

[Tellurian]

2. Strange...what happened to Kooch?

Wheres the passion, the outrage, the audacity of having a candidates forum without Kucinich.

He must be on vacay somewhere.. pitching softballs to Gravel.

[Dinger]

3. I Don't Think This Is A Good Thing (nt)

[nickinSTL]

4. yeah, keep it to the media-annointed leaders...so they stay that way

What they apparently want to do is to offer the media-annointed leaders more face time so they ensure they stay the leaders in the polls. :eyes:

[FrenchieCat]

5. that's how it works...... I guess......but if you think about it, Howard Dean

Would have been debating all by his lonesome back during the 2004 primary season....considering he was the ONLY frontrunner that was discussed till late January!

[rucky]

6. You could start with all the candidates...

then each week, Flava Flav will decide who gets to go home.

[LWolf]

7. Only valid if you do two debates, so both halves get their time.

Put HRC and Richardson in one half, Edwards and Obama in the other.

Hm...Dodd and Gravel in the first half, DK and Biden in the 2nd.

Any "conversation on the issues" that excludes half of the conversation is corrupt, imo.