They’re designed to generate entertainment, not information… when you can’t tell the difference between American Idol and a Presidential debate, we’re f’d. Seriously.

Then, there’s this:

Maria Luisa, the UNLV student who asked Hillary Clinton whether she preferred “diamonds or pearls” at last night’s debate wrote on her MySpace page this morning that CNN forced her to ask the frilly question instead of a pre-approved query about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

“Every single question asked during the debate by the audience had to be approved by CNN,” Luisa writes. “I was asked to submit questions including “lighthearted/fun” questions. I submitted more than five questions on issues important to me. I did a policy memo on Yucca Mountain a year ago and was the finalist for the Truman Scholarship. For sure, I thought I would get to ask the Yucca question that was APPROVED by CNN days in advance.”

Now, Luisa is getting “swamped” with critical e-mails.

Read the whole post, CNN responded. Still, they meant to do this. Lighthearted, fun questions aren’t what I’m tuning in for… which is why I don’t tune in anymore. Does anyone remember the debates from the 80s and even the 90s? They sucked, but they were at least serious…

(via Atrios)