Internet offers a new view on old debate game

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Some political junkies are offering this advice for today’s final presidential debate in St. Louis: Watch the candidates spar on television first, then go on the Internet for analysis and fact-checking.

For example, The Washington Post’s site, www.washingtonpost.comc, contains transcripts that are peppered with links to a "Debate Referee." Last week, the referee pointed out vagueness in George W. Bush’s missile-defense plans and Al Gore’s inconsistencies regarding Saddam Hussein.

A link to The Washington Post site can also be found at The Herald’s Web site at www.heraldnet.com, where a full transcript of the debate will be posted tonight.

The Commission on Presidential Debates, www.debates.org, posts transcripts roughly translated into French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish using computer software.

With online transcripts, "you could go back to read something you might have misunderstood to get a better idea of what the candidate meant," said Craig Fifer, a Democrat who runs the government Web site in Roanoke, Va.

Both campaigns offer their spin at www.Algore.com and Bush’s www.debatefacts.com.

www.CNN.com and www.c-span.org let viewers find highlights on video by typing in words such as "environment" or "school vouchers."

During the debates, major news sites feature live video feeds and running transcripts. And www.ABCNews.com has a live video feed in Spanish, while www.c-span.org lets viewers train a camera on the candidate who is not speaking.

At CNN, analysts at an online "Spin Room" take gibes at the candidates and the moderator throughout the debate.

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