Rules for Bush-Kerry Debates

I think these rules along with the lack of political debates in general is one of the biggest threats to American democracy. Have you ever watched MP's speak in the UK commons? That's democracy. You don't become a UK PM unless you can hold your own against a tough crowd. Contrast that with US Presidents who go on for minutes (sometimes 5 minutes or more) on whichever topic they've been told by their consultants to push. Bush with his relentless "on message" speaches is especially bad - as this example from Bush in Ireland shows.