The focus of the debate was national security and not once did either candidate discuss American relations with China except in the context of North Korea’s nuclear threat. Taiwan wasn’t mentioned once. Pakistan and India were also neglected. The omission of these countries–and the very real national security concerns related to them–is symptomatic of the tendency in presidential debates to focus solely on today’s headlines and refuse to see beyond the horizon. The first Bush-Gore debate, which did not once touch on the issue of terrorism, is an obvious case in point. The blame lies with the moderators, who lack the imagination to ask questions about problems that lurk ahead and ought to be addressed.