In response to today's column, Robert made this very insightful point:

You neglected to mention another reason that the debates benefit the media in their current format. Each time any candidate opens his or her mouth, it's another opportunity for one of those Herculean gaffes like the one you displayed by Dan Quayle. This is a HUGE payoff for the media, even if it happens to a lower-tier candidate, because it gives them a juicy story in a long and mostly boring race. In fact, having to respond to complex questions in thirty-second sound bites may actually increase the likelihood of one of those gaffes-for-the-ages.