On top of that, I'm disgusted that this campaign is already in full-throttle just a couple of months after mid-terms, and that we've had a major debate a FULL YEAR befor it should have taken place.
The Iowa Caucus is on January 14th, 2008. That is 8 1/2 months away. It does seem like debates for the primary should still be months off, and I think the primaries are too early as well.
On the other hand, debates are a good way for candidates that don't have a lot of funding to get their message out to the public, so early debates can help a struggling candidate. However, if candidates do poorly in early debates, and don't have strong financial backing, it can easily end their candidacy quickly.