More Debates!

Thankfully, the Debate Gods have heard the call for yet more Presidential debates, and this time, they have divined CNN and YouTube to carry out Their Will to the Democratic candidates on Monday July 23rd.

This debate will be a unique one - questions will be posed to candidates via YouTube video and then the Democrats will answer them. Visit www.youtube.com to get more information on that. The GOP candidates will have their go with this format on Sept 17.

Certainly its an innovative format, allowing average people (and the Republican National Committee apparently) the opportunity to communicate directly with POTUS candidates. The format seems promising for perhaps offerring a different perspective on the candidates. The risk of such a debate, though, is the chance for becoming bogged down with the very personal questions, which a potential President will have to first address the personal, the broaden their answers to make more broad policy statements. With the necessarily constraining time limits, we may get the personal touch without the substance and philosophy that we really hire a President to have.

It will be an interesting experiment - perhaps the YouTube debates will mark a turn for the better in the great scope of Presidential debates. Or, it may be a miserable sequence of heart-strings stories with lots of "I feel your pain" and a dearth of "this is my philosophy". Tune in Monday on CNN.