BUSH BACKPEDDLE ON DEBATES A DISSERVICE TO AMERICA September 3, 1992 Statement of Mickey Kantor, Campaign Chairman George Bush is hiding under the table when it's time to put the issues on the table. With Labor Day approaching and the President's men now rejecting the proposal of the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates--months after it was offered--it would truly be unfortunate for the people of East Lansing, Michigan and the Nation to be deprived of the debate scheduled for September 22 and the subsequently scheduled debates. We accepted the proposal of the Commission to have three presidential and one vice-presidential debates because we believe that presidential debates are in the public interest. In fact, Governor Clinton accepted the proposal on the day it was announced last June. The American people deserve the opportunity to see their candidates for president face-to-face addressing the issues. The Commission has worked for six years with representatives from both major parties, the media and academia. The outlines of the Commission's proposal reflect a great deal of thought and hard work. We believe that the current proposal presents a level playing field for the candidates to present their views and vision to the people of this country. As a result, we do not believe that any "behind-closed-door" negotiations between the two campaigns are necessary. To the extent that any details need discussion, we believe that the discussions are properly held under the auspices of the Commission. The American people do not need a debate about debates. The American people need--and deserve--a debate on the issues between the presidential candidates, Bill Clinton and George Bush, and the vice presidential candidates, Al Gore and Dan Quayle.