he doesn t want a good line to fall flat or come off as too aggressive. well, neither of those was the problem when lloyd benson delivered this classic line against dan quyale in the debate of 1988. i served with jack kennedy. jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you re no jack kennedy. so, historically, have these showdowns made a real difference in the race? i m joined now by michael beschloss. good to see you. good morning. same here, chris. we know mitt romney is practicing, but are they ever spontaneous or always rehearsed? they re usually rehearsed because there s too much at stake and you re right. sometimes, a pennant can say something that sounds so rehearsed it just doesn t work. for instance, george h.p. bush when he was vice president was debating against geraldine fer