The format for the Presidential debates has been set between the two Presidential campaigns and the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Each Presidential candidate will be given two minutes to present his position on an issue, followed by give-and-take for five minutes. Nine questions will be asked in each of the two Presidential debates. The first Presidential debate will focus on foreign policy and the second on economic issues. In the first debate, McCain and Obama will stand behind lecterns. The second debate will have a town hall format. In the third debate, they will sit at a round table at the 10:00 and 2:00 positions with the moderator at the 6:00 position.

The McCain campaign is concerned about how a prominent scar on his face will appear on camera. However, there is no way to know until the lighting and camera arrangements at each location are finally set up.

The McCain campaign successfully argued for a more structured format in the Vice-Presidential debate. Palin and Biden will have less time to answer questions, thereby forcing short answers. Although the McCain camp argued for this because of fear that the inexperienced Palin might not be able to navigate some issues well, the Obama camp is probably pleased as well. Biden has a history of rambling and gaffe’s. A tighter format will give him less time for droning on. There will also be less opportunity for Biden and Palin to mix-it up directly.

The first debate is scheduled for September 26.