HOW ABOUT WEDNESDAY?:

Mondale starts his run; says he will debate (Mark Brunswick, 11/01/02, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

As he began his first full day of campaigning as the new Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Walter Mondale said Thursday that he would commit to one debate before election day, would serve a full six-year term if elected and would not seek reelection.

With four days left before the election, Mondale said he would debate but said he preferred to get his campaign up to speed first with a series of town meetings.

Earlier this week, Republican officials suggested there be five debates. On Thursday, Independence Party candidate Jim Moore and Green Party candidate Ray Tricomo called for debates through the weekend. A televised debate scheduled for tonight will go on even though Mondale won't be there.

"He's been on the campaign trail for six years," Mondale said, referring to Republican nominee Norm Coleman. "I've been on the trail for 12 hours. I need, and I insist, to talk to Minnesotans and hear what they're talking about so that they can hear what I'm talking about and then we'll have the debate."

You can hardly blame Mr. Mondale, who appears not to possess all his faculties any longer, for wanting to avoid debating in public. Maybe when he gets there he can get C-SPAN to stop televising the Senate too. Posted by Orrin Judd at November 1, 2002 10:50 AM