Cheers are in order for the League of Women Voters. Monday the group announced they would no longer sponsor presidential debates because the candidates gave the group no control over the format of the debate the league planned to pay for.

Once again the presidential candidates have decided to avoid any issues and stage a media event. Presidential debates have recently been the one place where the public could see how candidates felt about issues and see whether they can think on their feet.

With the controls agreed to by the candidates, however, this might change. The debate’s moderator must announce the subject of questions in advance and the candidates may not question one another. Journalists also will not ask questions. Also, the candidates will select the panelists asking questions. These controls reduce the risk that candidates will be caught off guard.

The debates used to be a good judge of how a candidate will perform once elected. A president must be able to make quick decisions. But a scripted debate tells viewers nothing about how candidates will handle situations if elected.

Media have been criticized for not covering the issues involved with elections. However, candidates run on image, not issues. In fact, they do everything they can to make sure the media and the public do not find out how they really stand on any issue.

The debate rules agreed to by Michael Dukakis and George Bush will make sure issues don’t get into the 1988 campaign.

The League of Women Voters is right to remove their sponsorship and to let the public know what the presidential debates are really about—nothing.