Presidential-Race.net

It’s not their checkered pasts, their questionable financial dealings, or even their bizarre religious tenets. You know what really scares the Republican candidates for the presidency? We do.

After pulling a party-line no-show at the recent National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) convention, aka, THE event for Latino movers and shakers, they are now discovering a rash of scheduling conflicts at the prospect of facing the chilling YouTube questioners in debate.

Just like with the Latino forum, all the Democratic candidates participated in the recent YouTube debate led by CNN’s Anderson Cooper. But Republicans, including Rudy Giulliani, are balking.

Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani may have better things to do than answer YouTube users’ questions at the GOP debate in St. Petersburg.

The news broke late Thursday that the former New York City mayor has scheduling issues with the Sept. 17 date, jeopardizing the showdown at the Mahaffey Theater…

Giuliani campaign officials could not be reached late Thursday to elaborate on the specific scheduling conflicts.

Mitt Romney — who recently faced derision and questions about his common sense for strapping his dog in its carrier to the top of his car during a 12-hour drive, causing the animal to defecate over his windshield — came right out and said the format is beneath his dignity.

“I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman,” Romney told the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader this week.

Only John McCain and Ron Paul have accepted; all the other Republicans are still checking their calendars.

The Republican candidates, or should we say middle-aged white guys in black suits, are obviously more comfortable with the old snore-fest format of moderator asking question and candidates answering question.

If the chickenhawks chicken out, it will be a blow to Florida’s Republican governor, Charlie Crist, whose Serve to Preserve Climate Summit to address global warming already made party hardliners in Tallahassee uncomfortable. The debate is the highest profile event since Crist and others had the Florida primary moved up in the 2008 cycle.