A viewer's guide to the St. Louis debate
Joe Klein's 'dos and don'ts' for the candidates
(CNN) -- Do address audience questions clearly, don't slouch and absolutely no smirking. What are the key "dos and don'ts" for President Bush and Sen. John Kerry in Friday's town hall-style presidential debate?
Joe Klein, Time magazine political columnist and political contributor on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now Prime Time Politics," offers his tips before each debate. Use his list as a viewer's guide for Friday's presidential debate and see how the candidates stack up.
Bush
Do:
Pay more attention to the audience than to Kerry;Offer more detail than last time;Remember that you're basically a nice guy.Don't:
Make faces (but you already know that); Repeat yourself so much; Ridicule him (it won't work with a live audience). Kerry
Do:
Focus on the folks (same as Bush);Pivot toward domestic policy (people may be getting tired of all the Iraq talk);Be ready to defend your record (especially the 1991 Persian Gulf War vote).Don't:
Be cocky;Try to be too folksy -- it ain't you; Let him get under your skin.