Jules Witcover: Presidential debates have become political babel-fest

If the Democratic National Committee had had its way, the televised debate among the party?s eight 2008 presidential candidates held Monday night in Charleston, S.C., would have been the first in the lead-in to the next election cycle.

Instead, it was only the fourth of this pre-election year amid a host of other candidate get-togethers so far, in what has become a political Babel in both parties. For junkies who can?t get enough of this stuff, there?s no complaint, and voters who feel otherwise can simply tune out.