A Good Idea From France: A New Type of Debate

    Devoted readers of this blog have already read some of the ways in which French politics differs from its American counterpart. Late last week, the French presidential election campaign offered another twist that Americans may want to borrow.
    Facing a tough opponent in the runoff, socialist candidate Segolene Royal engaged in a debate with the man who had finished third and had been squeezed out of that runoff -- Francois Bayrou. Call it desperation perhaps, but after only one debate in the current American campaign under the same old staged rules, one longs for a little variety. Something along this line could provide it.
    Forget about the candidates debating one another: We already have enough of that. But what if some agreed to appear with other figures? It might open things up. By almost any account, the most informative and best debate of the last fifteen years occurred when H. Ross Perot and Al Gore appeared jointly on the Larry King show in 1993  to discuss NAFTA.
    Readers are free to suggest possibilities. Here are two to get things started: