21.   And the Texas governor drew some criticism for skipping the first presidential debate in New Hampshire last Friday night.

22.   And the audience burst into laughter at a presidential debate when President Jimmy Carter said he chatted about nuclear weaponry with his daughter, Amy.

23.   And, he said, the presidential debates are part of a major effort to interest the public in voting.

24.   As Dole charts his way through appearances like these, his campaign is looking ahead to the presidential debates, which the two campaigns plan to discuss Thursday.

25.   As in every presidential debate, the spin will go on endlessly after this one, as both sides try and proclaim victory.

26.   As the spat over the presidential debates plays out, House and Senate Democratic leaders are churning up their own election year debate controversy on Capitol Hill.

27.   As soon as the third presidential debate concludes in St. Louis on Tuesday night, both campaigns move into the final stretch.

28.   As was demonstrated in the televised vice presidential debate that year, the Democrats had the far more qualified candidate in Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen.

29.   As usual, getting a seat at a presidential debate was no easy matter.

30.   At the close of the final presidential debate, moderator Jim Lehrer slipped in a plug for the Commission on Presidential Debates Web site, at www.debates.org.