After the first presidential debate I heard someone say that Romney had won by using a debate technique known as the Gish Gallop. As I had never heard this expression before, I went to the Web to find out. I found this definition in the Rational Wiki: "The Gish Gallop, named after creationist Duane Gish, is the debating technique of drowning the opponent in such a torrent of half-truths, lies, and straw-man arguments that the opponent cannot possibly answer every falsehood in real time."

In this environment the opponent doesn't have a prayer. In fact, this technique is forbidden in most school debates. Shouldn't Jim Lehrer have known this? I hope President Obama will refuse to play this underhanded game.

Rosa Lyons

Bellingham