Debate moderators named

The group running the presidential debates today announced the moderators who will ask the questions and try to keep the candidates in check.

Jim Lehrer of PBS will moderate the first face-off, scheduled for Sept. 26 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.

Former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw will supervise the second debate Oct. 7 at Belmont University in Nashville.

And Bob Schieffer of CBS will run the third debate Oct. 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

Gwen Ifill of PBS, meanwhile, is scheduled to supervise the vice presidential debate on Oct. 2 at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Commission on Presidential Debates previously announced the format for the debates, which will each start at 9 p.m. EDT and go for 90 minutes.

In the first and third presidential debates and the vice presidential debate, the candidates will be seated with the moderator at a table. The second presidential debate will be a town meeting in which undecided voters in the audience will pose questions and the moderator can also ask queries submitted online.

One presidential debate will focus primarily on domestic policy and one presidential debate will focus primarily on foreign policy. The vice presidential debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics.

So far, only Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain have been invited.