CBS News' Bob Schieffer, who will moderate the debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, LI, let the candidates know yesterday he planned to remain fully in charge of the event.
"It will not embarrass me, if they go off in a different direction, to say, 'Excuse me, could you focus on the question that I just asked?' " Schieffer said. Previous moderators have found that easier said than done, with candidates on both sides ignoring their questions and time limits.
Since learning he would be moderating the debate, Schieffer has been clipping articles and consulting think-tank experts to come up with questions. He quipped that he had a nightmare that all of his questions had been used up with a half-hour to go. "I don't want to think about it too much," he said, "but I think it could very well determine who our next president will be." |