What tonight's debate will really be about

On the stage will be Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for president, and incumbent Barack Obama, running for reelection. The moderator will be CNN ideologue Candy Crowley. Intended topics for the candidates to debate are both domestic and foreign policies.

Brags she will break her debate contract. 

So what will the debate be mostly about? Silly question. It will be about Candy Crowley.

In an interview with CNN this afternoon, Candy Crowley reiterated that, like past town-hall debate moderators, she intends to do more than just hold the microphone at tonight's debate in Hempstead, N.Y. -- an intention that has caused concern for both campaigns.

"They will call on 'Alice,' and 'Alice' will stand up and ask a question. Both candidates will answer. Then there's time for a follow-up question, facilitating a discussion, whatever you want to call it," Crowley said. "So if Alice asks oranges, and someone answers apples, there's the time to go, 'But Alice asked oranges? What's the answer to that?" Or, 'Well, you say this, but what about that?'"

The problem is that Crowley is bound by her contract to a well-defined and well-limited role.

7. Additional Rules Apllicable to the October 16 Debate...

(c) With respect to all questions...

(iv) The moderator will not ask follow-up questions or comment on either the questions asked by the audience or the answers of the candidates during the debate or otherwise intervene in the debate except to acknowledge the questioners from the audience or enforce the time limits, and invite candidate comments during the 2 minute response period.

(Italics added by Politico.) Now, those are the terms. If Candy didn't like them, she should have attempted renegotiation before signing. If that didn't work, she should have refused the job. But she did take it - and then, only the day before the debate, announces she won't keep her word. Tough luck to the two parties and the Commission on Presidential Debates, so sue me. Both parties, btw, have objected to Ms. Crowley redefining her role as she sees fit.

We need not wonder whether Ms. Crowley will moderate the debate with integrity. She is, after all, an open left-wing ideologue. But the real kicker is that she has already proven she has no integrity. She is not honest. 

And so she will moderate the debate exactly in the manner one would expect of someone like that. It will be an exercise of egotistical self promotion on Crowley's part. Romney, Obama, the audience present in person or electronically and the country itself - all are secondary to what will be a Candy Crowley Ego Stroking Circus. Just wait.

Related: "CNN debate: a liberal moderator and Democrat activists posing as undecided voters"

Update: And the winner is!