Presidential Debate Formats

The President of the United States is the most important job or office that a US citizen can obtain. That being said, why is there not a more difficult debate format for them to go through?

If you have ever applied for a job with the FBI or CIA, then you know that the hiring process is very intense with a in depth background investigation. Becoming a CEO of a major business is even more difficult. Running for President on the other hand, you need to memorize a group of 30 seconds answers to unload at any questions asked. Presidential candidates pick and choose the people that they interview with very carefully. They do this to avoid the risk of being asked any tough questions or being challenged on their positions. For example, Barrack Obama interviewing on Tyra Banks show and fielding questions about his MP3 player selection.

If a candidate honestly believed his positions and ideas, he or she would welcome debate and interviews from opposing points of views. Both political parties are guilty of this. The Republicans are usually more willing to debate on enemy grounds than the Democrats are. There is no way to really get to know the character and ideas of a candidate in this type of system.

Here is the new debate format that should not only be introduced, but should be made as the standard:
For the purpose of this article, we are focusing on the general election only and not the primaries.

There would be a series of 6 Presidential debates to take place during the campaign. The debates would be mandatory and the candidates would have no choice as to location, time, or any other detail pertaining to the debate structure. Each candidate will participate in a one on one debate against a political expert or commentator chosen by the opposite party. The Republican Party would choose the opponent for the Democrat candidate, as well as the location, time, and range of topics to be discussed. The Democrats would do the same for the Republicans during their debate sessions.