As Jerid at the Buckeye State Blog might write, Rut-roh. From the Houston Chronicle:
The Partnership and the Sierra Club Foundation have long planned to hold a presidential debate at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Feb. 28, just five days before the March 4 Texas primary.
MSNBC has promised to air the event, with NBC News Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert as moderator.
The plan calls for the remaining Democratic candidates to face off in one session, with the Republicans going at it in a separate debate that same evening — assuming no candidate has clinched a party nomination by then.
…
The organizers of the Houston forum already changed their date once, after failing to to lure the candidates to the Bayou City as originally planned on Nov. 13.
Then on Thursday, CNN announced plans to hold a Democratic debate in Ohio on Feb. 27, followed by a GOP forum on Feb. 28. Like Texas, Ohio holds its primary on March 4.
CNN plans to team up with the Ohio Democratic and Republican parties to host the events. CNN did not say where in Ohio its debates would be held.
As of late Friday, nobody had agreed to reschedule, setting the stage for dueling debates.
Hmm – who will cry uncle? Who will make whom cry uncle?
The presidential candidates, scrambling just four days before Super Tuesday — when 22 states will hold caucuses or primaries — had little time Friday to worry about a scheduling conflict nearly four weeks hence.
“We haven’t committed where we are going to be this week, much less at the end of February,” said Gail Gitcho, a spokeswoman for Republican former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Campaign staffers for remaining Democratic candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, said their candidates had not committed to attend either event. Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson, said his boss had not received official invitations from either forum.
Spokesmen for Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Republican former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee did not respond to inquiries.
If the primary fights are still alive at month’s end, candidates would be hard-pressed to choose between Texas and Ohio.
I guess if Obama and Clinton won’t battle on air, they now can battle off air about where to not battle on air.