JFK library to host debate

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has invited the Democratic presidential candidates to a debate on Dec. 17. The event will be sponsored by CNN and The Politico, a new Washington-based political publication and website, and will air nationally on CNN. Invitations were sent to all eight declared Democratic candidates.

"My father’s presidential library is an ideal venue for those who seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for President," Caroline Kennedy, president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, said in a statement. "President Kennedy championed public service and viewed politics as a noble and honorable profession ... It is therefore fitting that his library host a debate for the American people among the candidates who seek to lead our nation."

In 2000, the library hosted the first presidential debate between Al Gore, then the vice president, and George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas. Kennedy and Richard Nixon took part in the first-ever televised debate during the 1960 presidential campaign.