Mel Martinez just checked his bet in the debate negotiations for the Florida Senate campaign, desperately trying to suppress a smirk, while hoping that Betty Castor goes "all in."
That's what I gathered from the last paragraph of an article in today's Palm Beach Post:
Castor campaign spokesman Dan McLaughlin said Martinez is willing to "tell lies to win" and that "is what he is doing now." Martinez told the audience that he was not sure whether he would agree to a statewide television debate with questions coming from Meet the Press host Tim Russert, but his campaign later said it had agreed to allowing Russert to do the debate. A date and format for the debate, to be shown on the state's NBC television stations, are being worked out.
Why on earth would Betty Castor agree to have Tim Russert as a moderator after Mr. Pumpkinhead's fellating of Jeb Bush in the gubernatorial "debates" against Bill McBride in 2002? Russert did not even bother to hide his favoritism, however pathetic McBride's capitulation may have been (e.g. trying to out-compliment Barbara Bush at the end). Unless it is too late for the Castor campaign to agree to Mel Martinez's initial objection of Tim Russert, she should be ready to receive barrage of juvenile gotcha-type interrogatories, while Martinez plays softball with the host.
I already wrote to the campaign. But if it is too late to tell Russert to go CHENEY himself, then Russert and NBC need to be warned that there will be severe consequences if they try to hand the Florida Republicans another election.