A presidential debate worth seeing

Yesterday was another presidential debate, and it's one worth seeing. All six presidential candidates were invited (quick, can you name more than two?). Two had scheduling conflicts: Cynthia McKinney (Green Party) and Bob Barr (Libertarian). Two confirmed: Ralph Nader (Independent) and Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party). Two didn't reply (guess who, and why).

Anyway, the debate between Ralph Nader and Chuck Baldwin was broadcast on C-Span2, moderated by Chris Hedges (Pulitzer winner New York Times correspondent). The video is available here (click on the Flash Video).

While I don't support either of the two candidates, I advise anyone with any interest in this election to see the debate. The moderator's questions may be leading and long-winded, but they are not anywhere near the kind you get to hear on the mainstream media. The two candidates could hardly be more different---Nader is a consumer rights activist who calls for more regulation and federally mandated social services, while Baldwin is an "unapologetically pro-life", pro-gun rights, strict-interpretation-of-the-constitution conservative who calls for cutting all foreign aid and phasing out all entitlement programs---they manage without any problem to have a perfectly civil, meaningful, and interesting debate centered on the issues.

Perhaps they raise the bar too high for mainstream.