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Sen. Alexander Says Presidential Debate Lacking

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in Memphis, Tennessee on August 18, 2008.
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Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in Memphis, Tennessee on August 18, 2008.

Congressman Lamar Alexander, the senior senator from Tennessee said the presidential debate Tuesday night between his colleagues Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. was barely useful.

"Something was wrong with it," he said, adding that the candidates clearly weren't as good as they were in the first debate, nor was the debate as sparkling as the vice presidential debate a week ago.

Asked by host Michel Martin whether issues of race were surfacing, Alexandere said, race is the most difficult issue Americans have to deal with — seconded only by the move of women having the choice to work outside the home — and we have to be careful how we talk about it.

Alexander also talks about his own re-election campaign. He wants to return to Washington to take on "big issues" like energy and matters concerning the family budget, he said.

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