US voters tuning into the first presidential debate on Thursday may be anticipating a free-wheeling give-and-take between the two candidates, but the occasion will actually be one of the most carefully structured events of the 2004 campaign. The rules for the three presidential debates were negotiated by representatives of Sen. John F. Kerry and President Bush in a 32-page memorandum of understanding and leave little room for spontaneity. They specify, among other things, that the candidates may not pose questions to each other and require the debate moderators to use specific language when cutting off long answers. The two campaigns haggled over the temperature in the room, how far the men could wander from their lecterns and how a coloured light will alert them when they’ve gone over their allotted time. The candidates may bring paper and pens or pencils, but all must be submitted ahead of time so the items can be placed on the lecterns, each constructed and placed to Kerry-Bush specifications. While past campaigns made similar agreements, the 2004 debate rules between Kerry and Bush are the most detailed. According to the agreement, which also covers the vice presidential debate on Oct. 5, cameras would not be permitted to show one candidate while the other is speaking or broadcast images of the audience’s response. The non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates has not signed the agreement, as requested by the Kerry and Bush campaigns. But in a statement, the panel said it will enforce the guidelines, and not depart from them without approval. One issue that remains somewhat unresolved: the temperature in the room. The Bush campaign wanted it above 70 degrees, hoping to get Kerry to break out in a sweat, while the Democrats were pushing for a cooler ambience. In the end, they settled on ‘‘industry standard.’’ —(LAT-WP)
