Another perspective

Reader comment on: CNN National Security Debate

Submitted by Tom Elliott (United States), Nov 22, 2011 23:50

I've just returned from the debate and am now reading the reaction. From my perspective. this was easily one of the best debates so far. Here's what I liked:

- There were no arbitrary rules about the time limits. These inevitably are ignored and only serve to stunt the conversation and create a lot of awkward moments. Wolf Blitzer did well keeping the conversation flowing without stopping anyone mid-sentence.

- As these candidates are competing in a Republican primary, it's great the questions came from conservative scholars. After every debate so far, there's been some griping about perceived bias from the moderators. When the questions come from people who spend their careers covering the topics they're asking about, you know they actually care about the answer. When the questions come from media personalities, they're often geared toward trying to make news and making a candidate look stupid.

- Because there were no horrible gaffes, the coverage might actually focus on the substance of the debate.

In general I also thought the back and forth over the PATRIOT Act, immigration, foreign aid, and other topics, provided viewers with a good opportunity to see how conservatives view these issues from differing perspectives. A TV debate with eight candidates will never be Firing Line, but this one at least did well focusing on substance.

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