There is much speculation that Senator Clinton’s biggest reason for the push to debate is that she needs the free air time as her fund raising has not been adequate to make her competitive against the Obama campaign in IN and NC.

Nonsense. In Indiana, the latest polls are close (see RCP, here) – some have her ahead, and no poll has her down more that 5 points. I’d call that “competitive”. In NC, Obama’s going to win, but that has far less to do with fund raising than with the racial demographics of the Democrats in NC.

Many people feel that the 22 debates already carried out are more than enough.

Those people are collectively known as “the Obama campaign”.

There’s one very simple reason Obama is ducking any further debates. As BBH and MD have already pointed out, once he gets away from chanting meaningless slogans or scripted vague generalities, he has an unfortunate tendency to blurt out his real thoughts about such topics as “typical white people” or those “bitter” rubes who (unlike his elite San Franciscan friends) can’t help their neanderthal attachment to God and guns.

Until the last debate in Pennsylvania, the media wasn’t interested in pressing him for details on anything or making him answer for any of his unsavory connections. The American people understand this – that’s why all those Saturday Night Live debate sketches were so popular.

One last thought – if Obama can’t handle an open, one-on-one exchange with someone as predictable as Hillary Clinton, how would he be able to handle Ahmadinejad or Putin? One unfavorable remark from either of them and he’d collapse from the pressure.

The only thing he has to worry about is getting knocked out by a sucker punch. So, there will, thankfully, be no further debates.

That said, I do want to add that an unstructured debate in the Fall, between McCain and Obama, without the presence of mediots, would be welcome.

Many people feel that the 22 debates already carried out are more than enough. This campaign season has already far out numbered any other year or election in the number of debates held.

If the people have had enough, it’s because these “debates” aren’t really debates and never have been. They’re just extended press conferences.

Wake me when there’s a real debate.

Barack Obama has already categorically stated that there will be no debate before Indiana and North Carolina primaries because he feels it is more important to spend time with the people.

Like the left wing, America hating San Francisco millionares so he can raise more money???

He truly is a man of the people.

- Unfortunately this little boo-boo came just a day after Wrights nerf-ball appearance on Moyers PBS Leftnutz love-fest non-news show. Apparently once again he didn’t get the memo. Even as he was mildly condemning Wright publicly, the Obamasmurfs side of the collective was hard at it in a massive “Out of context!, out of context!” defense campaign, claiming Wright’s words were simply misunderstood.

- I guess BO was among those that misunderstood him. Twice.

- Its gaffs like that which his camp seeks to protect him from, and feel theres zero reason for them to agree to expose him again. In view of his recent performance, maybe thats smart campaigning, but on the flip side hes giving RoboBeast ammo to make him look weak and unsure of himself, so that could be a very strong negative, coming as it does just before another primary vote.

- He has, however, agreed to appear on FOX News Sunday tomorrow (Sunday the 27th), so that will be the one way his camp intends to keep him in the public eye. That interview only took two years to get done. Since hes facing Chris Wallace, this will not be a knitting show.

- As for McDinosaur, his people must feel they’ve really found the gift that keeps on giving. The clown-car circus of the Democratic primary quagmire.

- BBH

But this year, the chickens are coming home to roost in the Dem party and I, for one, don’t feel one single ounce of sympathy over their obvious crack-up. And I’m not embarassed to say that I hope it continues.

Preach it, sister!

Actually, I wish all the debates would go “Lincoln-Douglas.” The current “debates” aren’t debates at all, but extended press-conferences or even quiz shows.