The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin on Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday.
At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.
McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.
I wish I was making this up. We have a 72 year old formerly tortured POW candidate with invasive melanoma with Caribou Barbie as his running mate who just did a really intensive hardball interview with Sean Hannity. So, to allay our fears that this dominionist nutjob may not be qualified to run the country, they have to make sure that Biden doesn't have a chance to openly debate her because it may make her look unqualified?
Unfuckingbelievable.