debate

A lot of conservative heavyweights have been freaking out over Gwen Ifill being the moderator of the Palin-Biden debate tonight. Ifill has a vested interest in the campaign -- she has a pro-Obama book due out on Inauguration Day -- so how can she be fair to Sarah Palin? Leave it to The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto -- one of the most interesting and thoughtful conservative writers around today -- to urge a little stepping back and calming down:

OK, libertarians; get ready to beat me up.

I've written frequently, both here and on the editorial page, about the need to give third-party candidates their share of exposure during political campaigns. It's both fair to them and beneficial to the voters.