“If anyone needed a sign that Belmont University is a month away from hosting a presidential debate, here’s a hint: Look at the flowers. The campus has undergone a remarkable botanical transformation in the 10 months since the Commission on Presidential Debates named Belmont as the host of the political season’s only town-hall-style presidential debate. But as the Oct. 7 event nears, it’s more than just flowers that mark the preparations for a debate that will put Belmont, and Nashville, squarely in the middle of one of the most captivating presidential races America has seen in at least two decades.” [editor’s note: One wonders if the local media will have anything like this much coverage for the “alternative debate” happening simultaneously with this one, down the street at Vanderbilt - SAT] (09/07/08)