The first presidential debate is tomorrow night. There are 32 pages of rules of engagement.
"It basically is ensuring that there will be a healthy exchange of ideas, there'll be a lot of topics covered…. No gimmicks, no tricks, no sudden surprises, so that we really can have a debate that's dominated by the issues," Bush senior advisor Karen Hughes told ABC News Radio on Tuesday.
No gimmicks? No tricks?
One issue that is 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."
