Homestretch for the Candidates

Let the Rhetorical Games Begin!

The American political season heads down the homestretch after the Republican National Convention closes later today, and thus begins a cherished and hallowed societal tradition that has us all begging for it to stop by the time we get to the voting booth.

For my international readers, unlike the running of the flame for the Olympic games, this part of the American political process is more like the flaming of the runners. Pay attention, you’ll understand what I mean.

In preparation for the hyperbole-laden carnage that’s to come, it may be a good time to actually find out the facts about our esteemed candidates. WashingtonWatch.com has a blog that’s currently examining Senator John McCain’s legislative history that will soon be followed up by a similar analysis of Senator Barack Obama’s record. The lawmaking credentials of both vice-presidential candidates will also be analyzed. Warm up those RSS readers folks.  

The records will serve as excellent contextual background for the coming debates to reduce the amount of rhetorical nonsense either candidate can actually get away with. The schedule below comes by the courtesy of the Commission on Presidential Debates which has additional information for those who are interested.

All debates start at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time and are 90 minutes in length. There will be a single moderator in each meeting of the candidates. Domestic policy will be the subject of the first presidential debate, and the second will include any issues raised by the audience. The third debate’s topic is foreign policy.

The vice presidential debate will feature both domestic and foreign policy.

First presidential debate:
Friday, September 26
University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

Vice presidential debate:
Thursday, October 2
Washington University in St. Louis, MO

Second presidential debate:
Tuesday, October 7
Belmont University, Nashville, TN

Third presidential debate:
Wednesday, October 15
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY