MIAMI, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Debate officials say President Bush still has not said if he will participate in the first U.S. electoral debate Sept. 30 in Coral Gables, Fla.
They said it is important because they need to address final details in preparation for the event, scheduled in two weeks, The Miami Herald reported.
The Commission on Presidential Debates sent its second letter in two weeks to Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry, who agreed to all three debates in July.
"Without this preparation and rehearsal time, the (commission) cannot guarantee that the American public will see and hear debates of the quality they expect," said the letter, signed by commission co-chairmen Frank Fahrenkopf and Paul Kirk.
The debate would begin at 9 p.m. at the University of Miami Convocation Center, and would deal with domestic issues. It would be followed by a debate Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2000, Bush tried to reduce the number of debates to one, but later agreed to four.
