Des Moines GOP Debate Preview: 90-Minutes to Midnight for McCain?
ABC kicks off the first of its two scheduled debates between the major party presidential candidates tomorrow morning with live coverage of the GOP forum from the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, IA beginning at 8:00 am CST (check local listings). The debate will be moderated by "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos and will include questions from David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register.
Although this will be the 4th such exchange between the GOP candidates (still sans Fred Thompson), ABC is hyping it as the "first Presidential Debate of the 2008 cycle." While it might be the first "network" debate (if CNN, MSNBC, and FOX aren't really networks), it is certainly NOT the first debate. To prepare for the Des Moines round, you might want to catch up by checking out some of our coverage of the three previous meetings:
New Hampshire (6-5-07)
South Carolina (5-15-07)
California (5-3-07)
The real spin on tomorrow's debate almost universally focuses on John McCain, whose campaign imploded little more than a month ago. Senior staff resignations and dismissals, flagging fundraising, unpopular positions on Iraq and immigration, and low poll numbers all point to the fact that the one-time frontrunner has his work cut out for him in Des Moines.
Some say this is McCain's last best chance to salvage his campaign with a "Hail Mary" pass. As Dan Balz notes in On the Trail, "[McCain's] performance on the stage in Des Moines this weekend will offer some important insights into his energy level, his determination and into whether having been singed by the immigration debate, he has begun to change his message."
So, if we buy the spin and aren't too wary of reductionism, what will McCain need to do to "win" this round?
