Rui @ White House 2004

By Joe Strupp

NEW YORK - The first presidential debate looms on Thursday night, and only one man gets to ask the questions. E&P wanted to find out what some of America's leading journalists would ask if they were sitting in the seat that will be occupied by Jim Lehrer of PBS's "The NewsHour."

Because the initial debate will focus on foreign affairs, it's not surprising that Iraq dominated their questions.

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David Halberstam, author and former correspondent for The New York Times...

For Bush and Kerry: "Do you think we are impaled on a major guerilla insurgency in Iraq and how do we un-impale ourselves?"

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Geneva Overholser, University of Missouri professor and former editor of the Des Moines Register...

For Kerry: "Do you agree that this is a time to show decisiveness as commander-in-chief, and, if so, how can Americans surmise that you're capable of it when your campaign seems to be constantly shifting its strategy?"

For Bush: "How is it possible that the best military in the world so badly misjudged the postwar period in Iraq and why has it taken you so long to adjust to the realities on the ground?"

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Tony Blankley, editorial page editor of The Washington Times...

For Kerry: "Given the many alternative descriptions you've given of the war in Iraq, how can you convince the public that you have the same fire in the belly as the president to fight the war to victory?"

For Bush: "How can you and your administration continue to assert that we don't need more personnel in the military given that you have said recently that we are stretched thin?"

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Jimmy Breslin, columnist for Newsday...

For Kerry: "Why don't you stop talking like a U.S. senator and tell me what you are going to do about the war?"

For Bush: "Why did you get in the war, and why aren't you out of it?"

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Jack Germond, author and former political columnist for The Sun in Baltimore...

For Bush: "You have depicted the war in Iraq as a patriotic cause, so why haven't you urged your daughters and other young people in your family and administration to help fight it?"

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Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist...

For Kerry: "You repeatedly say that you'll bring in our allies and the U.N. to address the situation in Iraq. On that basis, do you intend to toss magic dust at the problem or do you have a compelling reason to believe that our European allies or the U.N. will be more effective with you as president?"

For Bush: "We have a serious illegal immigration problem in this country and your administration appears to have done nothing to stem the flow. Why haven't you addressed this issue and if you get a second term, will you?

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Tom Wicker, former columnist for The New York Times...

For Bush and Kerry: "What policy in Iraq do you intend to follow if the January elections are held, and what policy do you intend to follow if they are not held?"

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Marvin Kalb, former CBS and NBC correspondent...

For Bush and Kerry: "What do you plan to do within six months of taking office to address the problem of nuclear terrorism?"

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Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today...

For both: "What is your specific plan for getting us out of the mess in Iraq?"

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Doug Clifton, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland...

For Kerry: "If you so steadfastly believe the war in Iraq is a misadventure, how do we extract ourselves without making Iraq a playground for terrorism?"

For Bush: "What makes you think the war in Iraq will be such a democratizing thing?"

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Phil Bronstein, editor of the San Francisco Chronicle...

For Kerry: "Even members of your own staff have talked about you having a tin ear for a campaign that would connect emotionally with people, and you've had to make a number of course corrections. Why have things gone wrong in your campaign, and who is responsible?"

For Bush: "You and/or members of your administration now concede there was a problem of reliable intelligence analysis on weapons of mass destruction and postwar issues. How can you trust what your analysts are telling you now about the war in Iraq?"

Joe Strupp (jstrupp@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P.