Just about everyone has weighed in against Jim Lehrer's performance as presidential debate moderator on Wednesday night - Democrats, political commentators, and even on Thursday night, Jimmy Fallon.
Now, the Commission on Presidential Debates is coming to his defense, arguing that the criticism that Mr. Lehrer did not do enough to corral the filibustering candidates misses the point: It was his job to get them talking, not to insert himself into their dialogue.
In a statement, the commission's executive director, Janet Brown, said: “The format for the first and fourth presidential debates calls for six 15-minute segments on topics selected and announced in advance by the moderators. After the moderator asks a question, the candidates each have two minutes to answer. After their answers, the moderator's job is to facilitate a conversation on the topic for approximately 9 minutes before moving to the next topic. The Co mmission on Presidential Debates' goal in selecting this format was to have a serious discussion of the major domestic and foreign policy issues with minimal interference by the moderator or timing signals. Jim Lehrer implemented the format exactly as it was designed by the CPD and announced in July.â€
