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"How about that Paul Ryan, huh? When the Wisconsin congressman was announced as the VP nominee this weekend, Mitt Romney put an end to all GOP guessing&amp;amp;#8212;Condi! Pawlenty!&amp;amp;#8212;regarding his running mate. Now, with only 83 days left until the general election, we&amp;#x27;re entering the final stretch: the conventions, the campaign commercials, the emails flooding your inbox asking for donations. Among the 24-hour media coverage, there&amp;#x27;s one place where the recently-announced alliterative ticket (as well as the Obama-Biden incumbents) can really showcase their platforms: the televised debates. As you loyal Conversation readers might recall, three New Jersey high school students petitioned the Committee for Presidential Debates a few months ago to appoint a female moderator for at least one of the three presidential debates. Though Gwen Ifill has been a staple at the VP face-off, the last woman to moderate a presidential debate was Carole Simpson in 1992. Since then, four elections came and went, a second Bush generation occupied the Oval Office, and Hillary became America&amp;#x27;s most powerful Clinton. What a difference 20 years makes! Perhaps it was the girls&amp;#x27; efforts. Maybe it was the prevalence of women&amp;#x27;s issues in this year&amp;#x27;s campaign focus. Whatever the case, the CPD took note of the current political climate and, as New York Times political blog The Caucus reported, they announced yesterday that CNN&amp;#x27;s Candy Crowley will moderate the October 16 presidential debate. However, the host of CNN&amp;#x27;s State of the Union won&amp;#x27;t oversee a traditional debate, one where a moderator asks the candidates questions directly. Crowley, instead, will head a town-hall-style forum, in which audience members ask the candidates questions directly. The vice presidential debate, scheduled for October 11, will also feature a female moderator&amp;amp;#8212;Martha Raddatz, ABC&amp;#x27;s senior foreign affairs correspondent. Though I&amp;#x27;d love to see a woman moderating a traditional presidential debate, I&amp;#x27;m pleased to learn that the CPD is giving women equal representation in the four debates. What are your thoughts on the announcement? Want more on Election 2012? Try... &amp;amp;bull; Paul Ryan Is Mitt Romney&amp;#x27;s VP Pick. What Are Your Thoughts? &amp;amp;bull; How to Ace the Most Stressful Job Ever: Working for a Presidential Campaign &amp;amp;bull; What the Supreme Court&amp;#x27;s Ruling to Uphold President Obama&amp;#x27;s Affordable Care Act Means for Women &amp;amp;bull; Snap Judgement: Would You Donate to a Campaign Via Text Message? Now You Can! Photo: Edward M. Pio Roda / CNN"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversation/2012/08/cnns-candy-crowley-is-the-firs>