In the final stage of his 2008 Congressional campaign, Rhode Island First District Congressman Patrick Kennedy had this to say about the possibility of debating his opponent…

Debates at this stage are usually theatre and gotcha games.

This past weekend, the Projo‘s Steve Peoples got the Congressman’s thoughts on appearing by himself in front of the public, for a discussion of issues in what is the early stage of the 2010 Congressional campaign…

Seizing on Kennedy’s reluctance to host a public forum, his likely Republican opponent in next year’s election, state Rep. John J. Loughlin II, has scheduled a health-care town hall of his own in Tiverton this Wednesday….Kennedy on Saturday dismissed the move as a political stunt, and said he would not host a town hall, largely because they fail to produce real discussion.
“Unfortunately, these town hall meetings have been hijacked by these Tea Party folks and extremists who really take away from the honest dialogue on the facts of the debate and end up seeing this issue devolve into fear mongering and the peddling of misconceptions,” he said, referring again to the sign that referenced his father’s death.

Combinatorics fans will note that Congressman Kennedy’s closing off of two possibilities; appearing in debates to discuss issues in the late stages of a campaign and meeting directly with the public to discuss issues in the early stages of a campaign, still leaves open a third possibility: appearing in debates to discuss issues in the early stages of a campaign.
Will Congressman Kennedy make himself available for debates in the early stages of his 2010 Congressional campaign, or will he ultimately take the position that there is no time when the job of United States Representative involves appearing in front of the general public, for an extended discussion of issues?