MySpace, MTV team up on candidate dialogues

The presidential campaign continues apace in the online world of the young.

MySpace and MTV announced today that they will team up on a series of dialogues on college campuses with candidates that will be broadcast on television and on the web.

Students on site and viewers will be able to submit questions, and live online polling will gauge reaction, the companies said.

The first hour-long dialogue will feature Democrat John Edwards and is to take place in New Hampshire on Sept. 27. In the Democratic field, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson have agreed to take part. Among Republicans, Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney have committed.

The presidential race is popular fodder for postings on MySpace, the social networking site. And MTV, the original music video network, has had a presence in politics for years.

Who can forget the "boxers or briefs" question lobbed at President Bill Clinton in 1994 at a MTV "Rock the Vote" event?

After an awkward pause, the leader of the free world answered, "Usually briefs."