After months of caucuses, primaries and political attacks, the pivotal moments in one of the most historic U.S. presidential elections might play out on television starting tonight. Once considered yawners, the presidential and vice presidential debates could top the record-breaking 40 million viewers who tuned in to watch the candidates’ acceptance speeches at the conventions. Though somewhat unsettled because of John McCain’s proclamation that he would skip tonight’s debate unless a deal on the Wall Street bailout is in place, the Commission on Presidential Debates said it expects to move forward, and Democrat Barack Obama says he will attend.
Tonight:Foreign policy and national security
7 p.m. MDT
University of Mississippi-Oxford
TV: All networks and cable-news channels plan to broadcast the debate.
The moderator: Jim Lehrer, PBS
Anchor of “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” he has moderated 10 nationally televised debates in the past five presidential elections. Lehrer told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday that he had already drafted his questions and “shared them with nobody, cleared them with nobody.”
The format
• 90 minutes
• The same question will be asked of each candidate.
• Each candidate has two minutes to answer.
• After both answers, the candidates can question each other for five minutes.
• The goal is to instigate a dialogue between the contenders and provide more information than a standard stump speech.
• McCain and Obama have chosen to stand at lecterns for tonight’s debate.
The rest of the schedule
Vice presidential debate
7 p.m. MDT Thursday
Washington University in St. Louis
Moderator: PBS’s Gwen Ifill
Second presidential debate
7 p.m. MDT Oct. 7
Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
Subject: Issues raised by audience members and submitted by Internet participants; a town-hall format
Moderator: NBC’s Tom Brokaw
Third presidential debate
7 p.m. MDT Oct. 15
Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.
Subject: Domestic policy
Moderator: CBS’s Bob Schieffer
