the moderators seemed to place a much higher priority on federal budget issues than voters do when they are asked to name the most important issue facing the country. The questions may also reflect partisan pressures: Based on the moderators’ queries, the most important international policy issue facing the nation is the killing of the U.S. ambassador in Libya—an emphasis that would be hard to explain without considering the Romney campaign’s decision to make it one of their central criticisms of Obama’s foreign policy. Such partisan and establishment influences should come as no surprise, given that the Commission on Presidential Debates is essentially controlled by the two major parties, with the campaigns allowed to vet the moderators (FAIR Media Advisory, 10/3/12)—a setup that will never result in tough questions across a true diversity of important issues.