Voters Want Well-Rounded Debates

Zogby International reports that 55% of "likely voters" think Libertarian Presidential nominee Bob Barr should be part of the 2008 Presidential debates. Almost half -- 46% -- also think Ralph Nader should be in the debate party.

A key group in any election, political independents overwhelmingly (69%) want Barr on the stage. And 59% give the nod to Nader, as well. Poll margin of error: +/- 1.7 percentage points

The "Presidential debates" are sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates; it was established by the two major political parties when the League of Women Voters bowed out due to pressures by the parties on format. Today, the Commission requires that a candidate must have the support of 15% of the public to be included in a debate. Catch-22: third party candidates need the national platform to get voter attention, but they must have voter attention to get on the stage.