Burns: "We forget to select for wisdom"

Documentary historian Ken Burns stuck around for another day in Nashville and stopped by for a media Q&A after a lecture with students. I’m wondering if maybe we should be electing him, instead:

“We’re at a crossroads of incredible danger, not only from the outside, but from the inside, with our economic situation. This is no time for people to choose those who aren’t really serious and (don’t) know what we’re talking about.”

You can see more with Burns at http://youtube.com/tnelection.

Vice presidential debate watch parties

The vice presidential debate between Democratic candidate Sen. Joe Biden and Republican candidate Gov. Sarah Palin begins at 8 p.m. Thursday. PBS correspondent Gwen Ifill will moderate the debate. Here's the list I have so far; if you know of a watch party, e-mail me at ccsledge@tennessean.com.

Lipscomb University
Where: Shamblin Theatre, Lipscomb campus (3901 Granny White Pike)
When: 8 p.m.
Contact: 966-6494

Tennessee Democratic Party
Where: TN Obama ’08 Campaign Headquarters, 907 Rosa Parks Blvd.
When: Doors open at 5 p.m.; party begins at 6:30 p.m.
Contact: 244-1244

Tennessee Republican Party
Where: Limelight, 201 Woodland Street
When: Doors open at 6 p.m.; tickets are $10 in advance and $20 at the door (must be 21 and older)
Contact: 269-4260

Photo of the Day: Postcards to the President

Performance artist Sheryl Oring takes dictation from Belmont senior Kara Reynolds on Wednesday concerning what she would say to the next president. Oring, who has collected about 400 such postcards so far, will mail the postcards to the next president after the election. Reynolds' postcard: "Dear Mr. President: Please make good choices. ... P.S. Please ask President Clinton to play saxophone on my next album."

Greeting campaigns with a smile and a mohawk

Belmont junior Jonathon King will be one of the more visible student volunteers for the debate, and the reason should be fairly apparent: he rocks one awesome mohawk.

King will be one of the first faces the campaigns see Tuesday as he greets arriving guests at the Gordon E. Inman building. Looks like Belmont's bringing back shock and awe tactics.

McCain event at Riverfront canceled

A watch party and post-debate event for John McCain at Riverfront Park was canceled by the campaign last night, meaning the candidate won’t be showing up on Lower Broadway after his Belmont appearance.

The cancellation came directly from the campaign, which said the appearance wouldn’t work with McCain’s schedule, said state Rep. Beth Harwell (R-Nashville), co-chair for McCain’s Tennessee campaign.

“We had moved it to the convention center, but it has been canceled,” Harwell said. “The campaign said he wouldn’t be able to do it.”

A Mississippi group had applied for a permit from Metro Parks on behalf of the McCain campaign in late August for “a large scale video presentation of the televised debate from Belmont University,” according to the application.

“The event will also likely have a musical act immediately following the debate and before the appearances of Senator John McCain,” the application read.

The fee for using Riverfront Park for such an event is about $1,000 per day.

What's in the bag

It's no secret that the most important question to media members during the debates is "What swag are we getting?" So, dear national media colleagues, here is a rundown of what you'll see in your goodie bag next week:

- Belmont University Debate08 T-shirt
- Chicago Climate Exchange certificate from Polar Technology to offset carbon emissions from flying to Nashville
- USB drive with information on the debate, attached to a Porridge Papers seed tag that contains wildflower seeds (the card itself can be planted ... wonder if Belmont has been using these on its campus?)
- Bottled water (not so green)
- Moon Pie
- Goo Goo Cluster
- M&Ms
- Tennessee Tea Cake
- Hatch Show Print commemorative debate print (probably the coolest thing in the bag)
- HCA pen and notepad (not suitable for writing prescriptions)
- Nashville tourism guide
- Christmas at Belmont DVD
- Various Belmont promotional material, including a card for Bob and Judy Fisher's book, "Life is a Gift"
- Macy's savings pass
- Debate08 and "Nashville" pins
- Debate programming guide
- Various sponsor brochures

What do you think should have been included? I could definitely have used some Yazoo brew, but I'm guessing Anheuser Busch would have nixed it.

Morning Links: It's beginning to look a lot like Debate Day

We're less than a week out from the presidential debate here, and it's getting pretty obvious. This banner was going up outside the Curb this morning, the security fence is snaking its way down to Belmont Boulevard, and there are now bathrooms on the tennis courts. Belmont President Bob Fisher has been waiting eight years for this day, and unless the candidates decide they have to rush back to Washington again, it looks like it's going to happen.

Outside Nashville, debate news centers on tomorrow's VP tangle, and as expected, Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin is getting most of the attention. Meanwhile, anybody hear about moderator Gwen Ifill, who'll be gaming through the debate with a broken ankle? Give her a Klondike bar.

Also:

Gov. Bredesen tells everybody to stop all their bickering.

Billy Joel and The Boss know who they're voting for.

Mason-Dixon gives McCain a 16-point lead in Tenn., but Quinnipiac says Obama is surging in the battleground states.