Debate: Immediate Reaction

I just watched the Democratic debate on CNN, and was heartily disappointed. Not in the candidates, but in the debate itself. The structure and the format were tiresome and did not serve me one bit in learning more about the candidates.

Structure -- Why can't candidates get more than 60 seconds to respond to a question? Does anyone really think that a decent answer can be given to any substantive issue in 60 seconds? Why on earth does the press want to promote sound bites over substantive debate? Don't they feel the least bit of responsibility to the public to encourage more ideas, rather than fewer?

Format -- Who's picking these questions anyway? Can we please stop trying to figure out what Hillary Clinton meant by the "boys club"? Look around her at the stage! If it's not obvious to you, then you really should not be hosting the debate. On a related note, can these "moderators" please arrange questions in an order that makes sense? Thank god for the precise, issue oriented, pithy questions of the folks in the audience, or this would have been a complete waste of my time, instead of just a partial waste.

I think it was Senator Dodd who proposed, a few months ago on Meet the Press, that each candidate should square up with a Republican and have a 90 minute debate on ONE topic. That would be fantastic. And let's get some decent moderators in there please, not all these folks who are looking more to boost their own egos than serve the public discussion.

Although, I would be remiss if I didn't mention before the end that, once again, Senator Biden was fantastic. I really wish he could pick up steam. Both Biden and Richardson are refreshingly straightforward in their answers, explanations, and views.