Here we go again. Since we last saw our contenders on stage, the vice presidential candidates have debated one another, the bailout plan was signed into law by President Bush, and the mud has started to sling.

The last time McCain and Obama took to the stage, they did the dance of “yes you did, no I didn’t” on every topic from funding the defense budget and supporting the surge to encouraging alternative energy growth. It was lacking in depth and put the world to sleep.

Tonight’s format will be in a town hall setting and will be open to all topics. McCain does well in this format, so it will be interesting to see how he does tonight with Obama beside him.

Will the debate tonight answer any of the questions Americans want answered? How about abandoning the discussion of past legislative votes and get to the economy, health care, and education? Will Obama raise issue with the attacks Palin has issued this week toward Obama’s previous relationship with William Ayers? Will McCain ignore, as Palin did, the questions asked of him, and spend his time winking, using folksy speak, and referring to his ticket as the “maverick” team?

Gotta say, it will be good to see veteran journalist Tom Brokaw moderating the event. Don’t forget to use your Mother Jones Bingo card to get you through the night.

Presidential Debate — October 7, 2008, Tuesday

Time: 9:00 EDT

Second presidential debate: all topics in town meeting format

Moderated by Tom Brokaw

@ Belmont University, Nashville, TN

-Two-minute answers, followed by one-minute discussion for each question.

For those of you who missed them, CBS and LearnOutLoud.com are offering a podcast of the previous presidential and vice presidential debates. Download and listen at your leisure.

LearnOutLoud.com and CBS

Things to watch for:
Will Palin be able to answer the questions posed to her, or will she continue to dodge and evade the questions as she has in multiple interview segments with Katie Couric? Will she poke fun at Biden’s gaffes and mistakes on the campaign trail?

Will Biden take a “soft” approach when addressing Palin in order to prevent his critics from declaring he was sexist or “man handled” Palin? Will he focus on McCain and basically ignore Palin? Will he poke fun at Palin’s inability to name a newspaper that she reads or a Supreme Court ruling she disagrees with other than Roe v. Wade?

Will it matter how well Palin performs tonight? If Palin falters and fails to deliver, will the McCain camp blame her “poor showing” on the controversy surrounding moderator Gwen Ifill’s supposed impartiality based on her upcoming book that includes Obama as one of the political black leaders in America? The book, “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama” is slated to be published on the day the new president is inaugerated.

And finally, will the economy overshadow other issues or will it be glossed over? Will they debate the issue of the bailout program?

Debate starts at 9:00 p.m. EDT

October 2, 2008, Thursday
Vice presidential debate: All Topics

Moderated by Gwen Ifill
@ Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

-Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

2008 Election Debate Resource

Debate Schedule

All Debates start at 9:00 p.m. EDT

October 2, 2008, Thursday
Vice presidential debate: all topics
Moderated by Gwen Ifill
@ Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

-Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

October 7, 2008, Tuesday
Second presidential debate: all topics in town meeting format
Moderated by Tom Brokaw
@ Belmont University, Nashville, TN

-Two-minute answers, followed by one-minute discussion for each question.

October 15, 2008, Wednesday
Third presidential debate: the economy and domestic policy
Moderated by Bob Schieffer
@ Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.

-Two-minute answers, followed by five-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

B-I-N-G-O

The folks over at MotherJones.com have created a great game of Bingo to help get you through the lulls in the debates. Use it as a drinking game, or if you have some bean bags nearby you can throw them at the television when you “score.”

How do you watch the debates? Do you have friends over and make a night of it? Do you rent movies and ignore the entire process? Let’s hear it!

While the debate centered on foreign policy and national security, most viewers expected to hear more about the bailout plan and the true state of our economy. Those of us who waited for any such conversation to get started were just out of luck. Instead, we saw an odd display of posturing not unlike that befitting a chicken coop.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Obama’s intent stare straight into the camera. While I believe the intention was to “connect” with the viewers, I found myself a little unsettled by it. However, I gave him points for the attempt.

McCain, on the other hand, could learn a thing or two about body language. He refused to even acknowledge that Obama was on the same stage as he. Poor Jim Lehrer tried to get the two to address one another, but he was fighting a hard battle against a man who had decided to invoke an invisibility shield on the rest of the room. When Obama attempted to speak directly to him, McCain either stared straight ahead and made odd, crimped faces, or looked down at his podium with a look of disbelief directed toward his invisible opponent.

McCain wanted to drive home the point that Obama is young, and in his opinion, inexperienced. “I’m afraid Senator Obama doesn’t understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy.” He spent a great deal of his time repeating that Obama doesn’t “get it” and “doesn’t understand” what is going on in the world.

Obama didn’t get angry; instead, he more often than not kept responded by repeatedly offering words of agreement. “I think Senator McCain and I agree for the most part on these issues.” Really? I thought the whole point of the debate was to highlight your differences.

I think the American people wanted to see more from these two. It didn’t feel like they were in the race of their career. Frankly, it wasn’t as interesting as the previous debates we’ve seen this year. Nothing new was revealed, the same barbs were thrown, and in the end the American public isn’t any clearer on who they should vote for come November.

Read the transcript of the debate.

Will McCain be seen as a flip-flopper? Was it a wise choice for McCain to ever consider being absent from the debate? How are you feeling about the candidates today?

Not long after, Senator Barack Obama responded at a news conference in Clearwater, Florida, that he fully intends to show up for the debate and declared “It’s going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) followed with a press release of their own, stating that they are “moving forward” with the initial plans that were set in motion over a year and half ago. Unlike McCain, they “believe the public will be well served by having all of the debates go forward as scheduled.”

Thursday, in a telephone interview with Salon.com, Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-chairman of the CPD, disputed the idea that the debate could go on if McCain bails out on it. “The law requires that there must be two candidates for a debate.”

And on Thursday evening, after the meeting between President Bush, Obama, McCain, and the Congressional leaders fell apart, Jon Carson, the National Field Director for the Obama campaign, wrote an email to Obama’s supporters stating that, “Barack is moving ahead with plans for Friday’s debate. The election is less than 40 days away, and the American people deserve to hear directly from the candidates about how they intend to lead our country.”

Does anyone know what’s going on here? Where’s the “straight talk” when we need it most?

Let’s hear from you:

Is McCain putting the “country first” with his decision to bow out of the debate or is he hiding behind the flag? Is Obama correct that the debate should go on as planned? If McCain fails to show up, will it affect how you feel about him as a candidate, and if so, in what way?

Topic of the Debate: Foreign Policy & National Security

Length: 90 mins.

Moderator: Jim Lehrer

Time: 9:00 p.m. EDT