Brokaw is the one who can determine what direction this debate takes

[Jersey Devil]

While the audience of 'undecideds' is chosen by Gallup, Brokaw chooses the questions from the audience (and some asked on the internet). If he doesn't want the debate to sink into the mud he can simply refuse to choose any questions on Ayers, Keating, etc. Then if McCain tries to raise those subjects he will look the same as Palin when she refused to answer the questions put to her and talked about whatever she wanted.

If Brokaw does choose an Ayers/Wright question for Obama then he better also choose a Keating (or lobbyists in his campaign) question of McCain or it will make him look terrible and biased, which I doubt he'd want to deal with. My guess is that he won't choose any because he would get the same kind of criticism as Gibson did in the primary debate with the flag pin question. People will demand answers regarding the economy and questions about anything else may very well even lead to booing by the audience.

[iceman66]

1. I suspect that Brokaw will do whatever he can to help McCain

without looking too obvious about it.

[Overseas]

2. That's what he usually does. His bias is usually fairly obvious to me.

But maybe he covers it up enough in this pushed-to-the-right corporate media we have today.

[Jersey Devil]

3. I could be wrong but I don't see that happening

Brokaw is the respected elder statesman and NBC and has carefully cultivated an image that I'm sure he would like to be like Walter Cronkite's. I don't think he would risk doing anything at this stage of his career that would make him look like a partisan.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Like reading a poll that has Obama leading, omitting that, and reading

only the part of the poll that favors McCain to end a nationally televised Sunday morning news program?

McBrokaw :eyes:

[stillcool]

6. or saying he has no idea..

about the connection between Ayers and Obama. Like the primaries never happened. Thurston Howell III, will be up to his usual shtick tonight I am sure.

[asjr]

4. I wish they had pulled Walter Cronkite

out of retirement. He would be far better than Brokaw.

[barack the house]

7. It's a townhall so in the end they are more accountable to public questions.