Over the past few days the Clinton campaign has tried to create a controversy over debates leading up to the March 4th primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. Today Barack Obama has agreed to two new debates.
The first debate will be at Cleveland State University and hosted by NBC News and WKYC, the local NBC affiliate in Cleveland. The second debate will be in Texas, but no details are available on that event yet.
The open question... will the second debate to be held in Texas be on Fox News?
UPDATE below: MSNBC to host in Texas?, Barack Obama on 60 Minutes, Obama rally in Omaha, Nebraska
From the Washington Post blog, 'The Trail':
Sen. Barack Obama agreed to two new debates with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and saw his post-Super Tuesday fundraising haul climb to over $7 million, as he hopscotched across the country seeking a trio of wins on Saturday.
Obama and Clinton will face off on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at Cleveland State University, in a debated hosted by NBC News and WKYC, the NBC affiliate in Cleveland. Although terms haven't been settled, Obama aides said the candidates would also meet in Texas, which votes the same day as Ohio, March 4.
More from 'The Swamp' at baltimoresun.com:
The Ohio event, scheduled for week before the primary on February 26 at Cleveland State University, will sponsored by NBC News and moderated by NBC anchors Brian Williams an Tim Russert. NBC affiliates throughout Ohio have agreed to broadcast the debate, the Obama campaign said.
The campaign said it will announce details for the Texas debate shortly.
For the past two days the Hillary Clinton campaign has been pushing hard for a debate on Fox News, either this Sunday or Monday.
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Some opinion on a potential debate on Fox News:
Kos: Hillary Clinton accepts Fox News debate, wants Obama to join
Obama should say "no way" to the smear mongers on Fox. It's incomprehensible that Clinton would seek to legitimize the Republican Party's chief propaganda arm.
Jane Hamsher, Huffington Post: Democrats Don't Let Democrats Do Fox: Why Did Hillary Clinton Accept Fox Debate?
Fox is not a news outlet, it's an openly partisan opinion factory and the Democrats should not be legitimizing them (and allowing them to recruit Democratic viewers to propagandize to) by doing this.
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*** UPDATE ***
Apparently the location being discussed for the Texas debate is at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX and hosted by MSNBC according to the Houston Chronicle.
Obama weighs Houston debate
Sen. Clinton has committed to Feb. 28 date at George R. Brown
Clinton, a senator from New York, has accepted invitations to appear on ABC's This Week on Sunday; Fox News in Washington on Monday; CNN from Ohio on Feb. 27; and MSNBC from the George R. Brown Convention Center on Feb. 28, her campaign said.
The Houston debate, sponsored by Greater Houston Partnership, originally was envisioned as a forum to discuss energy and environmental issues.
Event organizers now say the debate will be more general, but still emphasize energy issues.
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AND:
Obama: "Swift-Boating" Wouldn't Sink Me
Tells 60 Minutes His Campaign Against Clinton Will Be Limited To The Facts
Sen. Barack Obama could withstand any last-minute "swift-boat" attacks from Republicans on his race or past drug use because winning the grueling contest for the Democratic nomination will make him the "toughest, baddest candidate on the block," he tells 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft.
Obama was interviewed on Wednesday in Washington for a 60 Minutes report to be broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Asked by Kroft if he will be able to endure attacks from "swift-boating" Republicans who may use his race or his youthful drug use against him, Obama replies, "Whoever wins this Democratic primary...they're the toughest, baddest candidate on the block. And if I beat Senator Clinton, then I will be more than capable of beating the Republicans. And if I don't, then she'll be the nominee and [race or past drug use] will be a moot point."
But the senator from Illinois vowed not to use such tactics himself to beat Hillary Clinton. Kroft's question on whether he would pull out any "Clinton skeletons" prompted Obama to say, "We don't play that. I mean, one of the rules that I laid down very early in this campaign was that we will be fierce competitors but we will have some ground rules. And one of the ground rules for me is that we battle on policy differences, and that if we draw a contrast between Senator Clinton and myself, then it is based on fact," he tells Kroft.
Then Obama promises, "We're not going to fabricate things. We're not going to try to distort or twist her positions."
Sunday's broadcast also features unique coverage of Obama. 60 Minutes was the only news organization allowed to videotape behind the scenes at Obama's Chicago campaign headquarters on Super Tuesday and to record the candidate and his wife as they watched the election coverage on television.
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Today in Omaha, Nebraska over 10,000+ attended the Obama rally.
KETV 7 Omaha's coverage of Barack Obama rally.
Thousands of people lined up Thursday to see Sen. Barack Obama at Civic Auditorium in downtown Omaha, and after hours of waiting, he took the stage shortly after 6 p.m.
Doors to the Civic Auditorium opened at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, and thousands of people were already in line. The atmosphere was like a rock concert. Some waiting in line said they know they'll support Obama, and others wanted to hear him speak to help make up their minds.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver endorsed Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination during the rally. He said Obama won Iowa because he stands for change and because he's spent his life fighting for ordinary people.
"(He can unite) Americans no matter where they are: red state, blue state, purple state," Culver said. "His message of hope, his message of opportunity, his message of optimism -- that's what we all believe in."
Video:
Voters Line Up To See Obama
Obama Addresses Omaha
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Michelle Obama will be in Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday, Feb. 8th for a rally at the Lied Performing Arts Center, details here.