my ideal candidate forum would be a combo quiz and debate

[bearfartinthewoods]

immediately before the event, all the candidates would be taken into a seperate area and asked the same four questions and allow two minutes to answer.

when the broadcast begins, the answers would be played and each candidate would be allowed a minute to ask any other candidate a question on that issue and the answer would be limited to one minutes with a one minute rebutal. break for commercial and then begin the cycle with the next question.

this would be more of a debate and less of an opportunity for face time by the locals and the national idiots like jennings and hume.
you may think one minute isn't much time but try it yourself. it's about the best you can do with two hours divided by seven candidates.