Online Presidential Debates to Be Announced

Beth Fouhy for AP reports: The 2008 presidential contenders may soon be slugging it out in cyberspace, with pioneering online-only debates being planned for early next fall, a new media partnership says. The political blog Huffington Post, online portal Yahoo and Slate Magazine will host the debates — one for Democratic candidates, one for Republicans — sometime after Labor Day, with PBS host Charlie Rose serving as moderator, the sponsors planned to announce Monday. Voters will be invited to submit questions, and can blog in real time to share their opinions on the candidates' answers. (…) Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news), the largest provider of online news, will host the debates and provide the technological expertise to produce them. Candidates will be able to participate from far-flung locations, speaking and interacting with one another before separate video cameras. The video will also appear on the Slate and Huffington Post Web sites. (…) Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has agreed to introduce the Democratic debate, Huffington said. She said the campaigns had all been contacted about the idea and most had indicated an interest in participating.