Let The Debate Continue

When Jim Lehrer, then the co-anchor of the PBS' News Hour, first prepared for his initial time moderating a presidential debate, an experience he compares "to walking down the blade of a knife," he became anxiety-ridden, fixated on the pressures and potential terrors of the task.

"I whined and whined and whined," Lehrer said. "But my wife (Kate) said, and I'm paraphrasing here, Hey, hey. If it's that bad for you, think what it must be like for those 2 candidates - 1 bad move and they lose the presidency of the United States"

Lehrer, who went on to moderate 10 additional presidential or vice-presidential debates, appeared at the Politics and Prose bookstore tonight to discuss his new book Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain.

From a writing standpoint, one the more interesting stories of the night, told by Lehrer in his straight-forward, yet humorous style, was how the book came to receive its current title.


"The book was completed and all through the process, we had been calling it Moderator," Lehrer explained. "Then I got a call from my editor who said, 'Jim, they don't like the title."

When Lehrer pointed out that the book had always been called Moderator and questioned the last-minute change of heart, his editor responded, "Well, would you buy a book titled Moderator?"

Charged with coming up with the new title, Lehrer remembered a remark former President George H. R. Bush had used to describe the process of participating in a presidential debate - it was like working in "tension city."

Even though the debates come near the end of the grueling election campaign process and most voters
have already decided who to vote for, Lehrer said they still perform a vital function. "I believe, and you can cue the music in the background here, that the people are just as smart as I am.  They can look at the 2 (or more) candidates side-by-side, hear what they say, and decide - do I want this guy to be president," Lehrer said.

Travelers' Tip:
If you are planning to attend an event that is expected to be crowded (or if you're not sure how crowded it will be) and you really want a seat, get there early. We did. We got seats and found that, with still a half-hour until Lehrer's book talk, every seat but the one directly in front of us was taken. For about 10 minutes, we were privy to a monologue from a sometimes vitrolic, sometimes teary-eyed woman who demanded the seat, which the gentleman next to it quietly said he was saving for his brother-in-law, for her husband, who she pointed out on at least 2 occasions, "was a veteran." Now while the etiquette of holding a seat at a crowded event can be debated, there is something to be said for the adage first come, first served. And then there is the you snooze, you lose maxim. And, while I am extremely grateful for all our veterans have done for this country, I'm not sure their benefits should include the guaranteed right to a chair at a book talk.