Presidential Debates Begin on Friday

At long last John McCain and Barack Obama will meet face to face for a Presidential debate at the University of Mississippi. This is where the campaign gets serious, where all the media spin and pundit blather takes a backseat to political realities.

I'm looking forward to it. The polls are still tight, with Obama gaining ground. Let's see what the candidates are really made of -- who has actual knowledge and wisdom on critical national problems and who is an unqualified pretender. Who can answer questions presented to him with credibility and who merely sidesteps the questions. Who can think on his feet and who cannot.

It all comes down to this: the candidates must battle head to head in the arena of ideas and fight it out man to man. Win or lose, the fight cannot be sidestepped or wished away, nor would I want it to be. The hoped-for result is that the candidates will reveal their true selves and give real insight into their ability to lead.

Let the debates begin and let the chips fall where they may.