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Pubdate: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?140 (Rockefeller Drug Laws) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1916/a02.html YOU CALL THAT A DEBATE? Sunday's "debate" among seven candidates for governor of New York State was a light political merry-go-round, a 90-minute whirl in which each candidate had no more than a dozen minutes to address issues great and incredibly minor. George Pataki, the incumbent, had insisted that all third-party candidates be included. The governor should get points for politeness, but it was obvious that his real goal was to drain the event of any import. Mr. Pataki, a Republican, now says he was wrong eight years ago, when he ran against Mario Cuomo, to have insisted on one-on-one debates while Mr. Cuomo was the one who wanted to get lost in a crowd. The present governor certainly seemed satisfied with the muddled production Sunday, sitting calmly while the Marijuana Reform candidate suggested that legalized pot would raise state revenues, the Libertarian candidate argued that he was a pot-smoker who didn't want to pay any more taxes on anything and the Right to Life candidate waved at his students. Meanwhile, former Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat, is doing much the same debate tango in New Jersey with his G.O.P. opponent, Douglas Forrester, in the race for the open United States Senate seat. Mr. Lautenberg, who like Mr. Pataki is ahead in the polls, has also argued for safety in numbers. He keeps insisting on including all the third-party candidates in any debate, and has dropped the debates scheduled by Senator Robert Torricelli, the original Democratic candidate, who dropped out. Mr. Pataki and Mr. Lautenberg should get real, and do the voters the courtesy of allowing at least one meaningful face-off between the two major party candidates. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D