2008 Presidential Debates

For those of y'all wondering when and where the fall campaign presidential debates will take place, here's the schedule according to the Commission on Presidential Debates.


Friday, September 26, 2008
First Presidential Debate
University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
Moderator- Jim Lehrer
Focus- domestic policy

Thursday, October 2, 2008:
Vice Presidential Debate
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Moderator- Gwen Ifill
Focus- foreign and domestic policy topics

Tuesday, October 7, 2008:
Second Presidential Debate
Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Moderator-Tom Brokaw
Town hall meeting format with citizen questions to candidates

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Third Presidential Debate
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Moderator-Bob Schieffer
Focus- foreign policy

All four debates will begin at 9pm ET and last for 90 minutes.

Format-
During the first and third presidential debates and the vice presidential debate, the time will be divided into eight ten-minute segments. The moderator will introduce each segment with an issue on which each candidate will comment, after which the moderator will facilitate further discussion of the issue, including direct exchange between the candidates for the balance of that segment.

Both campaigns agreed to accept the Commission on Public Debates participation rules for third-party candidate participation.

The participants in the town meeting will pose their questions to the candidates after reviewing their questions with the moderator for the sole purpose of avoiding duplication. The participants will be chosen by the Gallup Organization and will be undecided voters from the Nashville, Tenn. standard metropolitan statistical area. During the town meeting, the moderator has discretion to use questions submitted by Internet.

The two backup sites are Centre College in Danville, KY and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.