[Oceander]

"I'd never skip a debate. I'd never skip the opportunity to let the American public know what I think about these issues," Santorum said.

Proof of Santorum's stupidity. One, these aren't "debates", they're dog-and-pony shows where the candidates are trotted out and either set against each other or made to play "gotcha" with stupid questions and sound-bite answers. Two, and following from the first, these so-called "debates" are intentionally designed to prevent any participant from giving any sort of a nuanced view on issues, so clearly skipping one of these farces isn't going to deprive a candidate of much.

[ExtremeUnction]

So many of the debates are held in liberal venues (PBS, CNN). I agree with Perry. Skip some of them.

[RIghtwardHo]

If he can’t handle the debates ... well, I am singularly unimpressed at his abilities to be President. It’s just a debate for heaven’s sake. If you can’t handle questions ...

[South40]

[Pinkbell]

I love Santorum, and Newt has really impressed me too. Good for them. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. In the debates I’ve seen, Perry hasn’t handled the heat well.

[hocndoc]

Neither of these men can afford to skip a debate, because they have no campaign funds.
It’s bE that everyone follows this rabbit trail of the media, though. “Hints” aren’t fact, yet. It is publicity for them all, I guess.

[Rudder]

As Dick Morris just said, "If you're not in the debates, you're not in the race."

I believe Morris is correct on this one.

[Sprite518]

Perry if you can’t win a debate in your own party, then how do you expect to influence a nation or a congress????

[newzjunkey]

Can any of you explain why the people of Des Moines, Iowa, deserve TWO nationally televised debates only 9 days apart with a 3rd in Sioux City, Iowa, in between during December?

The "debate" schedule is atrocious.

[onyx]

Another mistake from his professional handlers!

The Governor needs to fire ALL of them.

If he can’t hold his own with his rivals, how is he planning to convince voters that he win the debates against/with The Marxist?

[onyx]

YES!

Donate Here!

[takenoprisoner]

Mr. Sanctimonious needs to step aside.

Meanwhile, Perry needs to engage or bail. He ain’t too bright, in case you haven’t already noticed.

[xzins]

It would have been far better if Perry had announced the strategy ahead of time.

I think I just heard that there’s something like 16 debates before the primaries actually begin. They are a joke so much that Dennis Miller is calling them “Survivor: vote someone off the island.” (Obama then steals that line.)

IOW, there are TOO many of the silly Q&A’s giving liberals a chance to keep the race in turmoil.

The correct thing for the election is to cut that number in half for ALL candidates.

In the meantime, Obama learned from the last election that the potus can’t sit idle and allow the candidates to continually potshot the president, so he has actively begun his campaign.

Too many debates will give him endless opportunity to ridicule conservatives.

I think Perry is right in this. These debates are becoming a distraction rather than an aid. I would think that Cain and Gingrich would also see the truth of this rejection of too many debates.