CNN’s Crowley Insists She Will Push for Facts in Debate

CNN’s Candy Crowley contends she will play an active role in tonight’s second presidential debate. The only question is how active.

Both the Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigns had appealed to the Commission on Presidential Debates after Crowley had made remarks that she might go outside the rules agreed to by the campaigns and make a comment or ask a question in the town-hall style format. It that format, the questions come from the audience.

However, in an appearance on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” Crowley said,
“I’m trying to just know what the facts are, what the [candidates’] positions are, so that when something comes up that maybe could use a little further explanation, it might be as simple as: ‘But the question, sir, was oranges and you said apples. Could you answer oranges?’ Or it might be as simple as: ‘But, gee, how does that fit with the following thing?’ ”

The independent commission's co-chairman backed Crowley in an interview with the Washington Post. “She agreed to abide by the rules of the commission, not the campaigns,” he said.

The Post noted that in a previous town-hall style debate in 1992, Carole Simpson, then of ABC News, posed follow-up questions.