1.   All this, Lanham said, should have been enough for the FEC to rule that the debate commission overstepped its bounds.

2.   And that someone, in the judgment of the debate commission, is Lehrer.

3.   As the debate commission prepares to decide whether to include Perot, it has been asking experts whether they believe he has any realistic chance of being elected.

4.   Asked whether Reform Party candidate Ross Perot will participate, News Secretary Mike McCurry says the president welcomes anyone the debate commission decides should take part.

5.   As the candidate played hard-to-get, she said, the debate commission grew agreeable to talking about creative, spontaneous formats for the debates.

6.   At most the two rivals would never have more than the three slotted by the national debate commission.

7.   A key criteria for inclusion is whether a candidate has a plausible chance of being elected, according to the debate commission.

8.   Bush has refused to negotiate with the debate commission since making his proposal on Sunday.

9.   But the presidential debate commission has said it would be amenable to discussions on format once everyone agrees to participate in the debates themselves.

10.   Earlier, the co-chairmen of the debate commission, Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., and Paul G. Kirk Jr., told reporters that the commission will reassess its practices.