The Republicans don't like you....Tube.

The Democratic YouTube/CNN debate was somewhat novel, and I said before it didn't totally suck. And the one thing this format provides (whether it's real or just perceived) is a one-on-one communication with actual, everyday people. So while the hillbillies and snowmen were silly, for the audience, it helps shed light on if the potential leader of the free world is able to relate with "down home" folk and have a sense of humor. Remember, there's really only one reason Dubya got as many votes as he did in 2000 -- he was the "guy you could have a beer with".

Now, many of the GOP candidates are possibly NOT going to attend the Republican YouTube/CNN deabates. From Talking Points Memo:

It's looking like there might not be a GOP CNN/Youtube debate. Rudy appears to be opting out and Mitt Romney doesn't seem far behind. And GOP party functionary Hugh Hewitt is already laying down a line of covering fire for the retreat, arguing that CNN and Youtube are biased against Republicans.

In a strange twist of fate, even conservative bloggers realize what a horrible idea skipping this debate would be. From the oh-so-smart Andrew Sullivan:

For my part, the current old white men running for the GOP already seem from some other planet. Ducking YouTube after the Dems did so well will look like a party uncomfortable with the culture and uncomfortable with democracy. But then, we kind of knew that already, I guess, didn't we?

And even a more pragmatic criticism from Hot Air:

“The GOP can’t face the people, the GOP can’t handle unorthodox questions, the GOP has no sense no fun” — it’s a PR disaster in the making. Although I’m not surprised it’s Rudy who’s leading the way. Formats that don’t lend themselves to pat answers aren’t his strong suit.
[...]
In this case, if the frontrunner walks, the rest have every incentive to attend and then bludgeon Rudy with the same no-guts-no-fun talking points the Democrats have on ice.

There's some comparison between the Democrats not participating in the Fox News debates... but the comparison is decidedly weak. Fox News is a conservative outlet -- sure they may be fair and balanced, but they're "fair" coming from a conservative standpoint already. CNN is accused of being "liberal", but only from right-wing people. There are quite a few cases of lefties accusing CNN of being too willing to coddle conservative viewpoints... so obviously the political compass at CNN is not entrenched in one ideology. When was the last time a righty accused Fox News of being too "liberal"? Or when has there been ANY time that ANYONE accused Fox News of being "liberal"? I rest my case.

My prediction: Any GOP candidate that doesn't attend this debate will NOT be the GOP candidate for President.

Josh Marshall makes some sense

It's not often that bloggers actually write something that's thoughtful and not just a "knee-jerk" response. At Talking Points Memo, that seems to happen a lot more than at other blogs. Of course, writing two insightful posts would make a blog more thoughtful than every other blog.

Take this TPM post for example:

I agree to the extent that the dangers we face because of the Iraq catastrophe are so great and the long term consequences so vast that we can't afford score settling and jockeying for advantage. This isn't rhetoric. Completely setting aside the lives we've lost and the money we've squandered I don't think this country has really taken stock of the damage we've done to ourselves or the prices we're going to pay for this folly for decades to come. As it is with a family so to with a country, when catastrophe strikes everyone has to pull together to help find a way out, a way back.

But that's not where we are. A faction in this country, and it doesn't merit a loftier label given its quickly diminishing size and its focus on loyalty to a single man, is still focused on perpetuating the catastrophe -- continuing it, expanding it and perhaps most importantly denying its very existence.

Exactly. At this point, if you think Dubya is doing a good job with Iraq... you deserve to be hit by a bus, have the bus driver get out, defecate on your flattened remains, then left to rot in the blazing sun. The Iraq war (which still isn't a "real" war) has gone way beyond labels like Liberal or Conservative or Democrat or Republican. There are exactly two sides: people looking for real solutions to get us out and morons.

I think the President should sign an Executive Order that states "anyone who thinks the war is going in any other direction except 'poorly' is required to spend 12 months fighting in Iraq". It would take approximately 2.6 seconds for the pro-war cowards to change their tune.