Several of my colleagues are trying to promote political awareness by encouraging students to watch the upcoming presidential "debates." Just so we're all clear on this, there actually won't be any debates between the presidential candidates. They will be taking turns delivering mini-speeches they've prepared in response to questions they know they'll be asked. They will not actually "discuss with" or "debate" each other at all. Neither will ask the other a single question. Calling this a debate ought to violate truth-in-advertising laws. Why the media is complicit in this debasement of political discourse is beyond me. Wait, no it isn't.