Thyme, neither have 15% of the electorate in the polls. What we have is a catch 22. Neither Buchanan or Nader can reach that level without more exposure. The debates would no doubt have elevated both, with probably more voters going for Nader. As I understand it, the debate commission is controlled by the Democrats and Republicans. They obviously would not want these guys in front of 40 to 70 million voters(DougR can probably shed more light on this). Serious issues might actually have been discussed.

I think the whole debate thing stinks. They weren't really debates. No serious discussion or challenge from either candidate. With Nader and Buchanan on board, that would not have been the case.