Presidential debates are set

Details for three debates between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama were released by the campaigns today. Each will begin at 8 p.m. (CST) and last 90 minutes. The first debate will take place on September 26 at the University of Mississippi and will be hosted by Jim Lehrer. Then on October 7 at Belmont University the candidates will square off in a town-hall style debate moderated by Tom Brokaw. Their final face-to-face encounter will take place on October 15 at Hofstra University with Bob Schieffer running the show.

James Fallows has an interesting piece in this month’s Atlantic analyzing the primary-season debates. The poor sap sat through all 47 candidate encounters to search for clues as to what we might see when Obama and McCain face off. His commentary on the various moderators is biting and spot on. (“Wolf Blitzer was the most intrusive and self-aggrandizing.”) Fallows also notes that Obama was much more freewheeling, funny and effective in his 2004 senate debates with Alan Keyes. Based on this assessment, he comes up with some hilarious advice for the Democrat. “For Obama the key is: look at John McCain, and see Alan Keyes.”