Debate Frenzy Ending? CNN Cancels One in March

Everyone but Newt Gingrich turned it down
By John Johnson, Newser Staff
Posted Feb 16, 2012 6:22 PM

(Newser) – Newt Gingrich would probably love to fill an hour or more of debate time all by his lonesome, but CNN would rather he not. The network canceled a debate scheduled for March 1 after Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum bowed out, reports the National Journal. The trio cited hectic campaign schedules ahead of Super Tuesday on March 6. A CNN debate scheduled for Feb. 22 is still on, however.

When informed earlier in the day that Romney was out, Gingrich still seemed game to participate, and he turned it into a political jab: "The Romney model is to go to Wall Street and raise huge amounts of money to run negative ads," he said. "And you can understand why having to defend that strategy is probably not something he's very happy with." The New York Times thinks the cancellation is a sign that the seemingly endless debates (20 so far) are finally coming to an end.