How Fitting...

Rivals push Coakley for debates

Attorney General Martha Coakley, the presumptive front-runner in the race to succeed the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, has yet to agree to another debate with her three Democratic rivals, causing increasing frustration among the candidates in the final weeks of the campaign.

Two of the candidates, Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca and City Year cofounder Alan Khazei, are so eager to debate that today they plan to make a public offer to pick up the considerable production costs associated with staging a televised
debate. And another candidate, US Representative Michael E. Capuano, said in an interview: “I’ve been dying for debates. I’ll do five a week.’’

Considering that the man they're looking to replace - Ted Kennedy - didn't debate either of his opponents in 2000 and held a half-hour "mini-debate" in his last re-election campaign, this shouldn't rile anyone at all. Coakley, who's at the head of the pack, can only be hurt by debating the others. She's taking a page out of Teddy's book: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and cram both feet into it...

A chip off the ol' hack, that's our Martha.

That is all.