I don't know about you, but I'm tired of watching the same old televised presidential debates every 4 years. The topics discussed almost never go beyond whatever the punditocracy is currently obsessing over in their never-ending circle-jerk, while the issues important to most Americans go undiscussed.
Is it any wonder that most Americans rate the media's performance poorly?
But I have an idea for a Presidential debate Americans would actually watch and learn from.
I've always enjoyed reading posts on Daily Kos focusing on what the foreign media is saying about the United States. Needless to say, the foreign media usually has a better handle on the important issues in the US and covers stories that our media rarely touches. Their treatment of our circus called the Republican Presidential Primary has been top-notch, while our media has struggled to pretend that the Republican candidates are on the same level as President Obama instead of the laughingstock that they really are. I've particularly enjoyed the posts from Democrats Ramshield, and it was his recent post that gave me this idea.
What if at least one of the upcoming Presidential Debates was hosted by members of the foreign media, with them asking the questions? Notwithstanding the inevitable criticisms about foreigners meddling in the presidential campaign, it would make sense that the topic should be foreign policy & international issues. Who better to ask questions on that topic than those affected by those decisions?
The following news organizations immediately come to mind, although I'm sure the Republicans will object that these are 'liberal' news outlets (unlike CNN or NPR, of course.):
Der Spiegel (Germany)
The Guardian (England)
The Times (England)
BBC News (England)
Le Monde (France)
Haaretz (Israel)
Al Bawaba (Jordan)
Japan Times (Japan)
Korea Herald (South Korea)
This is just a small list of reputable news organizations throughout the world, but I'm sure there are others. (I didn't include Al Jazeera simply because they would be viewed as biased by both campaigns.)
What would it take to organize a foreign policy presidential debate this season, with four reporters from any of the news organizations above asking the questions? Is this too much to ask?
Comments welcome and encouraged...