Debates Will Play Major Role in Presidential Contest BOISE, ID (idaho) - The presidential and vice presidential debates will play a major deciding factor in the race for the White House, according to Boise State University Political Scientist Emeritus Dr. Jim Weatherby.

The debates are an important opportunity for John McCain to talk policy, and for Barack Obama to make himself better known among voters, Weatherby said.

"Will [Obama] reassure Americans in these debates and win the election? I think that's a big focus in these debates," Weatherby said.

Weatherby predicted that TV viewership of the debates will surpass the number of people who watched the acceptance speeches of Obama and McCain at the party conventions.

The debate between the vice presidential nominees should be especially interesting, according to Weatherby.

"The presidential debates will be overshadowed, maybe, by the vice presidential debates," he said.

"The entrance of Sarah Palin out of nowhere into this campaign is an amazing story," Weatherby added. © Copyright 2009, idaho