Political analysis of campaign debates has long been the business of the chatterati: news analysts, commentators, spin doctors. That won't change, at least not in the '08 presidential campaign.
But now the digerati -- computer wizards -- have teamed up with journalists to put voters in the analyzer's seat, too. The vehicles are innovative, with interactive features that include:
- Debate video and transcripts, posted in near real-time
- Keywords that enable voters to leap into the debate to see and/or read candidates' stands on issues ranging from "maverick" to "surge"
- Fact-checking pop-up windows
