Be prepared for the more of the same next time

It will be a pleasant surprise if the next – and last – presidential debate tackles the tough questions on moral issues and judicial philosophy, among other areas left unaddressed lately in the other debates.

But don’t count on it. There’s a template for these things, and network anchors pretty much stick to it.

The candidates were queried on a narrow range of foreign, economic, health care, and environmental issues–the stuff they talk about every day at rallies and fundraisers. These didn’t come close to what voters at a real town hall meeting might have asked. There was no mention of abortion, immigration, moral values, same sex marriage, guns, their role models, their view of the presidency, or their religious faith.

Like Barnes suggests, let’s have Rick Warren back.