I've already made up my mind as to who I'm going to vote for (care to take three guesses?), but I intend to watch every minute of the debates, including the one between Edwards and Cheney. Stage-managed or not, that has the potential of being a real doozy!

Years ago I found that I could really rely on Judith Crist, the resident movie reviewer for TV Guide at the time. If she hated a movie, I knew I would like it. If she liked a movie, I knew that I would find it outright putrid. Negative information is still information.

Therefore, one of the reasons I'm going to watch the "debates," even if they are completely stage-managed and rehearsed, is to make my own assessment as the show goes along, and then compare my assessment with what the press does with it. You may not hear all that much new in the "debates," but it can give you a few clues about various news reporters, commentators, and news services. And that, in itself, is worth knowing.

Don Firth