Newspapers and pundits coast-to-coast slam Bush debate dodge
Enough Gamesmanship
The Bush camp claimed Gore was playing games by making other debates contingent on the three set by the debate commission and argued that other debate sponsors deserve as much consideration as the commission. Not true.
The precedent was set in 1988, when Bush's father, George Bush, participated in the commission series. The commission's debate framework has become a part of American politics and has served the country and its voters well. Bush should abandon his gamesmanship and get on with the debates. A fair campaign demands it.
latimes.com
First, Three Big Debates
Where Mr. Gore should take a firm line, though, is in continuing to insist that Mr. Bush agree to the three commission debates with "roadblock," or all- network, coverage. When those debates are set, then the candidates can do any number of additional debates on Mr. King's or Mr. Russert's show or anyplace else, for that matter. The public is served by more debates, not fewer — and by preservation of the primacy of the Commission on Presidential Debates.
nytimes.com
Bush plays debate games
Like his father before him, Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush is playing games with a carefully formulated package for presidential debates by the bipartisan commission that has been running them even-handedly for the last three elections.
sunspot.net
Let the debates proceed
Sept. 6, 2000 - Texas Gov. George W. Bush should stop tap-dancing around the issue of debating Vice President Al Gore. The sooner the two go head-to-head, the better.
denverpost.com
Talk show
Mr. Bush feigns eagerness to tangle with his debate-savvy Democratic opponent, when what he's really doing is trying to stay safe in situations with congenial moderators and smaller audiences. His gambit responds to the letter but not to the spirit of Mr. Gore's offer to debate "anytime, anywhere." Mr. Gore is right to demand acceptance of the commission's three national debates as the prerequisite for extra debates.
web.philly.com
The debate debate
It is up to Bush to close the credibility gap. Rather than proposing a clumsy and last-minute reinvention of the wheel, the Bush campaign should agree to the broadcasting basics of bringing the candidates to the widest audience possible without stirring up distracting television turf wars.
boston.com
Bush play on debates misses the point
Whatever the unspun facts, George Bush is selling himself as a different sort of politician, with a plan to raise the tone of Washington political battles. By splitting hairs on debates, the Texas governor paints himself as someone who would be right at home in Washington without changing a thing.
usatoday.com
The debate dodger
It's time for some plain talk, as George W. Bush likes to say: Any man who runs from prime-time network debates doesn't deserve to be president. The governor and his explainers can spin like tops, but no serious voter believes that Bush has met Al Gore's debate challenge
salon.com
Demeaning the debates
George W. Bush insults voters and demeans the importance of the debates by the lame game of chicken that he's trying mightily to coax Al Gore into.
herald.com
Why Debates Matter
Mr. Bush further claims that Mr. Gore is breaking a promise to meet him in his chosen venues. But Mr. Gore is not breaking that promise. He is merely insisting that Mr. Bush should not use these lesser encounters as an excuse to avoid the big ones.
A healthy precedent had been established; but Mr. Bush's stance now threatens to return politics to the time when just one all-network encounter, or possibly even no encounter, is considered acceptable. A candidate who frequently pledges to uplift the nation's political culture should think twice before doing that.
washingtonpost.com
Bush campaign, trailing in polls, a bit out of kilter
It's obvious that Bush is trying to limit the length of the debates and the number of people who would see them.
star-telegram.com
Voters lose in debating game
Previous candidates, including the governor's father, President George Bush, found the commission system worthy of at least two appearances. The governor should honor that tradition and also agree to at least two debates.
The commission was created to eliminate competition for the debates and give maximum exposure to the candidates in a formal setting. By playing the networks against each other, Bush has aggravated the very problem the presidential debate commission sought to alleviate.
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