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Opinion: Rick Perry sends his regrets to some presidential debates

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Rick Perry could have been honest and said that he was pulling out of some debates because he just isn’t good at them. But, channeling Newt Gingrich, the Texas governor offered a more high-minded reason for taking a pass: Debates are divisive. ‘All they’re interested in is stirring it up between the candidates,’ he said.

Well, yeah. That’s the definition of a debate. But most of the ‘stirring’ is done by the candidates. And even if there weren’t a single debate, they would be trashing one another in television ads. So Perry’s no-show decision looks like a strategic retreat, not an attempt to elevate political discourse.

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About that there can be no debate.

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-- Michael McGough

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