As the bailout bill issue has hovered of Capitol Hill the past couple weeks, I've thought that neither presidential candidate has stepped forward and shown strong leadership on the issue. We've had grandstanding, we've had hedging, but we really haven't had anyone show he has adequate command over what's happening.

That being the case, on C-SPAN I heard Simon Johnson make a good proposal. He suggests the presidential candidates have a debate solely focused on the current financial services crisis. There are three good reasons to do this:

• Provides an opportunity for the candidates to show leadership and articulate their philosophy on coping with the problem


• A debate would facilitate and enhance the national discussion on the crisis


• This issue is so critical that it will shape the first couple years of the next presidency. It's important that each candidate offer his vision on how he will manage it

I'd like to see a 90 minute or two hour debate just on this issue. It might not be a ratings winner on network TV, but I think the seriousness of this issue demands that the next president be given sufficient time to tackle it on national TV. This is a complicated matter which can't be settled with sound bytes.