Watch the debates online, or on TV

Now that it’s beginning to look like this Internet thing is going to be around a while, the Commission on Presidential Debates has decided to try it out.

The commission was formed in 1987 to organize the candidates’ verbal face-offs every four years. It is composed of political relics including former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Colo.) and Newton Minow, who worked for the last sitting senator to win the presidency, John F. Kennedy, back about the time Barack Obama was born.

Never exactly cutting edge, the commission announced last week a partnership with MySpace. How it works: MySpace will do something called “live streaming” of the presidential debates, starting Sept. 26.

It’s really amazing. You can actually watch the debates on a computer screen at the very same time as millions of other people watch on the four broadcast television networks. No, really.

“We get blamed by people for being Neanderthals,” said Janet Brown, the commission’s executive director. “But just because something is new doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to include it in the debates.”

Which is probably why the commission does not yet have video of historical debate moments that you can watch on its website. That’ll probably take another 21 years to evaluate.

But they do use microphones now.

McCain enlists Ridge in battle

Here comes the next chapter in the Republican vice presidential guessing game.

While a fatigued Democratic nominee-to-be Barack Obama relaxes in Hawaii and perhaps allows the country to start recovering from emerging “Obama fatigue,” Republican nominee-to-be Sen. John McCain heads back to Pennsylvania for the sixth time since early June.

Think it’s an important battleground state?

With the presidential spotlight to himself, McCain will spend two days touring the Keystone State with Vietnam War hero, former representative, former governor, former Homeland Security secretary and current McCain pal Tom Ridge.

The 62-year-old Pittsburgh native was an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, winning a Bronze Star for Valor and losing hearing in one ear from an explosion. He’s reported to be a favorite to be the running mate of the 72-year-old former Vietnam POW. Ridge cut taxes every year of two terms as governor, which would please Republican conservatives, but his pro-choice stance would not.

The cross-state tour from Erie, which Ridge represented in the House, to Harrisburg, Lancaster and York, fulfills the desires of state party officials for the presumptive Republican nominee to concentrate more on the conservative center of Pennsylvania that, to paraphrase Obama, is full of bitter small-town people who cling to religion and guns. (Do you remember who scored big in that region in the Democratic primary? Hint: She’s not in the race anymore.)

Polls show Obama leading in Pennsylvania for now, based on his stronghold in the southeast corner including Philadelphia, where McCain has visited frequently, hoping to capture suburban votes.

Clinton chats, but says nothing new

Hillary Rodham Clinton, slowly ramping up her public presence following her loss in the Democratic presidential race, fielded questions recently in a Web chat, but revealed little about what was most on the mind of many -- the role she and her supporters will play at the party’s upcoming nominating convention in Denver.

More revealing, by far, were comments posted by Clinton enthusiasts as the chat unfolded. Many said they would like to see her name placed in nomination at the convention, a potentially discordant note at a confab whose main goal is to promote party harmony for nominee Obama.

Other questions sent to Clinton indicated that some backers had come to terms with her defeat. Clinton hit the expected chords in her responses to the 12 questions she fielded.

Do you really want Obama to become president, one person asked, or “are you just saying what you have to?”

Clinton replied: “. . . I am completely committed to helping Sen. Obama become the next president of the United States and urging all of you to do the same.”

Still, she was noncommittal when asked about the prospect of her name being placed in nomination. Some of her supporters see that as a show of respect for her 18-month campaign.

Clinton wrote: “Sen. Obama and I share the goal of ensuring that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected. I want to assure everyone we are working together with Sen. Obama’s campaign and the [Democratic National Committee], and I am confident we will have a successful and unified convention in Denver.”

The comments appended by participants were not so circumspect.

“JanfromMN” wrote: “There is no way the DNC can unify the party without having your name placed into nomination and letting us feel that there is some sense of fairness to this election. Right now, we feel like our candidate has been treated very unfairly and we demand some respect!”

Not surprisingly, Clinton was asked about the veepstakes. Perhaps surprisingly, given that most clues from the Obama camp indicate it won’t be her, she was less dismissive of joining the ticket than might be expected.

“Larry D.” from Albany told her she would “make a great vice president.”

Clinton replied: “I have said repeatedly that I will do whatever Sen. Obama asks me to do. I am really focused and enjoying being back in the Senate and working on behalf of my New York constituents. This is Sen. Obama’s decision and his alone and I am going to respect the privacy of that process by not discussing it.”

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Excerpted from The Times’ political blog Top of the Ticket, at www.latimes.com

/topoftheticket.