>Man-up, Rodney!

>US Senate Democratic hopefuls, John Dougherty, Randy Parraz, and Cathy Eden, have agreed to a series of debates in Phoenix, Yuma, and Tucson, but the fourth contender, Rodney Glassman, has not confirmed that he will participate, according to the Tucson Sentinel.

Let me preface the following comments by saying that I personally like Glassman. He is an intelligent, personable guy, but it’s time for him to man-up and debate the other Democrats.

As a Tucson City Council member, the affable Glassman often tried to play both sides of many issues, in my opinion. Some of this issue-dodging was apparent at a recent Drinking Liberally appearance, according to this detailed account in the Tucson Citizen.

As a candidate for US Senate, this strategy won’t work. To be taken seriously, Glassman has to clearly delineate his positions on the many serious issues facing our state.

Initially, as an elder statesman, John McCain was avoiding debating his challenger JD Hayworth, but on Friday McCain announced that he will participate in Republican debates before the primary election.

On the Democratic side, the four candidates are on a par with each other in terms of name recognition; no one can claim the elder-statesman-above-the-rabble position. Debating will help them distinguish themselves from each other. Let the games begin.