Peter Jennings Quotes

Anything can go wrong in a debate, and Obama is not a perfect debater.

Each of the participants [in a Presidential Debate] has a major objective and a minor one, in addition, of course, to appearing presidential. The major one is to get his messages across even if the questions don’t ask for them. The minor one is to avoid seeming unresponsive. That is why you will see the debaters answer some of the questions quickly, leaving time for what the candidate wants to talk about.

When you look at that debate stage, Mitt Romney could have dominated it maybe.

See that's a goal that I think it's very good in the debate to find out who the person is.

I actually prepared Vice President Biden for his debate in the last election. I played Sarah Palin. It's a little tough debating a woman.

The only way and incumbent can lose a debate is to eat a live rat on stage.

I spent four and a half hours debating Donald Trump in three debates, which I think should put to rest any questions about my stamina.

You know a Senate race is obviously a much smaller deal than a presidential race. What I think makes a very hard job considerably easier when you're going to debate is if you have reminded yourself - or somebody has reminded you during the course of your campaign - that consistency is enormously important. That people don't want to hear you say one thing in one part of the state and another thing in another part of the state.

I think the American people want to see the interactivity between candidates and audiences, and tough questions posed by people and how you handle them under fire.

He steps on stage and draws the sword of rhetoric, and when he is through, someone is lying wounded and thousands of others are either angry or consoled.

Voters are looking for credibility and are wary of polish. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter which candidate can more deftly read a teleprompter.

Al Gore adopted three utterly different personas in three national presidential debates.

Governor Romney is a good debater.

One of the most surreal moments in this election was after the third debate, when I heard a talking head say, Al Gore won on substance, on the issues. But you have to give the victory to Bush because he seems presidential.

There is literally no such thing as an idea that cannot be expressed well and articulately to today's voters in 30 seconds.

Ronald Reagan's advisors know that if he goes to sleep for even five minutes during the second debate, he'll be in trouble.

Pretty damn good speech. Now if all you had to do to run for and be president was talk, Adlai'd be the best. But it ain't.

A candidate challenging an incumbent president has the advantage [in a debate]. The president of the United States is an awesome figure. Merely to share the platform with him on equal terms is to gain in stature: a good performance will be judged even better.

The way candidates react, immediately and usually involuntarily, while caught by the camera dominates impressions of who has “won” or “list” an encounter [political debate].

I like Marco Rubio. But I don't know about as a vice-presidential candidate. He's a nice guy, and that role requires kicking the crap out of your opponents.

I don't think [Donald] Trump was playing rope-a-dope. He probably said, "Look, I've done these. How many debates did we do in the primaries? I know what's happening."

Did you see Bush on TV, trying to debate? Jesus, he talked like a donkey with no brains at all...It was pitiful...I almost felt sorry for him, until I heard someone call him 'Mr. President,' and then I felt ashamed.

I can't wait to see the debate between Ryan and Joe Biden. Biden is said to be already trying out different strategies. So far the one that Obama likes is where Biden pretends to have food poisoning and they cancel the debate.

I thought we would be concerned if he knew how to stay on message, if [Donald] Trump knew how to make the most of an argument against Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, by using some of the things that have been put on the news.

If Hillary Clinton had to face me on a debate stage, at the very least, she would have a hitch in her swing.