Gwen Ifill should have disclosed her book

        There is no defense for Gwen Ifill not notifying the parties in tonight's VP debate about her book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama". As a consequence, much attention will be focussed on her and her questions, when all of the attention should be on the answers.

        Here's the truth, and I think I know something about this since I am in the book publishing businesses: Gwen stands to make a lot of money if her book is a best seller. Depending on the deal she has and whether Obama gets elected, I'd guess it is $250,000 and up on this book alone, with plenty of spin-off deals available. If Obama is not elected, however, she probably makes next to nothing.

        And therein lies the rub. Gwen has a financial interest in the outcome of tonight's debate. How hard would it have been for her to declare her book deal to all concerned before the moderator was picked? Why didn't she just decline as she surely knows the conflict. The fact she didn't raises some ugly questions.