starsJim Lehrer hosts Debating Our Destiny
A look at the pivotal moments from the last 48 years of presidential debates through the eyes of those who were there.
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starAbout the Project

Seen as one of the critical and necessary tests for prospective candidates for the highest office in the land, debates have both salvaged struggling campaigns and wounded presumptive favorites.

In Debating Our Destiny II, former presidential and vice-presidential candidates review their debate triumphs and failures. The program, set to air September 9, 2008, is the sequel to Debating Our Destiny: 40 Years of Presidential Debates, which aired on PBS in 2000 to critical acclaim. After a brief recap of the original program, the sequel picks up where the original left off, beginning with the first Bush-Gore debate in the fall of 2000, The one-hour special features some of the most compelling debate exchanges in recent history, plus exclusive interviews with the candidates. 

 

 

Called the “dean of moderators,” Jim Lehrer has moderated 10 presidential debates in the past 5 elections and is one of the nation’s most respected journalists. For Debating Our Destiny II, Jim Lehrer interviews President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Senators Lieberman, Kerry and Edwards to get their perspectives on the debates. 

Debating Our Destiny grew out of a project initiated by the nonpartisan Commission of Presidential Debates, sponsor of the debates since 1987, to ensure the candidates views of the debates would be preserved for historical record.

 

Produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions in association with the Commission on Presidential Debates and WETA

Debating Our Destiny is brought to you, in part, by: Chevron

Copyright 2008 MacNeil/Lehrer Productions
MacNeil/Lehrer Productions