Gore, Quayle and Stockdale star in vintage 1992 veep debate footage

From Ryan Underwood:

In doing a some research for another project I stumbled across this vintage clip of Al Gore, Dan Quayle and Adm. James Stockdale at the 1992 vice presidential debate. A classic.

Hofstra debate flying under the NYC radar

I guess there are a lot of things to do in a city of 8 million people, but I really thought more New Yorkers would know about the Oct. 15 presidential debate at Hofstra University on Long Island. I mean, I realize it's not at Columbia University (where the candidates were last week, which the people I spoke to on the bus didn't seem to know), but given all the excitement around Belmont, I just figured most people knew.

"The conventions were late in the summer, so there wasn't a lot of chatter about the debates," said Hofstra spokeswoman Melissa Connolly when I talked to her about it last week. "When people become familiar with our program, it has worked really well.

"There's always so much news. When it comes, people are going to pay attention."

Connolly said word must be getting around, though, because she has received "thousands" of phone calls asking for tickets (which means she has received fewer requests than I have). Like Belmont and other hosts, the school will hold a ticket lottery for current students only.

The 13,000-student school decided to apply for the debate after President Bill Clinton spoke in Nov. 2005, Connolly said. The school has a center for the study of the American presidency, and has held conferences on every president since FDR.

I'll let you know what it's looking like over there (hopefully) later this week. I think I'll avoid the George Stephanopoulos crush today.

Party down with the AARP

So if you didn't get an invite to the official Belmont debate viewing party, at least you know you have one of the nation's most powerful lobbyists on your side: the AARP. The 50-and-up club is hosting a debate watch party (since they couldn't have their own debate) with free food and music at the bandshell in Centennial Park on Oct. 7. (And if you see any local elected officials there, let me know!)

Lunchtime Links: All-SNL Ticket, Gore's boat, and a roundup

In a presidential race that has remained tight, it seems America has spoken: we want Tina Fey. (You can watch the high-res version -- albeit with commercials -- here.)

Also:

Steve Gill is mad about Al Gore's family's new houseboat.
In case you missed it: Business owners around Belmont want to hear from the school.
Ralph Nader says he knew the Wall Street shakeup was coming. Sorry, Ralph: You're still (probably) not coming to Belmont.

Morning Links: All the Candidates' Speeches

The September 11 anniversary is over, so the gloves come back off for the candidates. Obama's campaign says it's ready to hit harder, while you'll likely hear all about the Bush Doctrine today as part of Palin's first interview. Need to catch up? Your video links to the candidates' discussions at Columbia U. in NYC and Palin's interview are below. Coffee not included.

McCain:



Obama:



Palin:

Question of the Day: What about dorm searches?

We'll be bringing you a question each day from Belmont students and members of the community about different aspects of the debate, and the answer from Belmont. Today's question comes from Belmont freshman Jesse Johnson:



A: Well, there's not really a complete answer for this one -- at least, not one Belmont administrators say they know about. Pamela Johnson, Belmont's debate coordinator, said the Secret Service typically doesn't discuss security measures, for reasons related to, well, security. According to an e-mail to students over the summer, dorms will be subject to search at any time during a 48-hour period from Oct. 5 until Oct. 7, the day of the debate. In other words, for students on campus during the debate weekend, expect your room to be searched at any time -- so make sure you pick up after yourself!

McCain and Obama at Columbia University

I'm sitting in my room near the Teachers College at Columbia University, mere blocks from where Sens. McCain and Obama are speaking tonight about national service. (It turns out tickets to this debate were also available only through a student lottery) McCain and Obama are appearing on stage together right now (oh, there they go!) and they seemed cordial; they shook hands and McCain gave a thumbs-up to his opponent. McCain just spoke about how national service can bring people together across racial lines, and Obama is now laying out what he plans to do about energy and foreign oil. Earlier the two appeared at Ground Zero together on the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

You can check out the USA Today live blog of the Columbia forum here, and tell me what you think about what the candidates had to say tonight.