Candidates didn't take CNN bait

The headline of the recent Republican debate was the incompetence of the CNN interviewers. It was clear by their biased questions that they only wished to create conflict between the candidates over extraneous issues.

But the candidates haven't gotten this far in politics because they're stupid. The CNN interviewers didn't lose control of the debate - they never had it. The candidates bypassed their leading questions and dealt with the issues, often speaking directly to one another.

The Fox interviewers did a much more effective job on the first debate. They were journalists. CNN tried to get time-wasting conflict going, but the candidates didn't take the bait. Fortunately, the interviewees controlled the debate, not the CNN pundits.

Paul O. Bischoff

Wheaton