Luisa wrote on her MySpace page, "Every single question asked during the debate by the audience had to be approved by CNN.  I was asked to submit questions including ‘lighthearted/fun’ questions. I submitted more than five questions on issues important to me. I did a policy memo on Yucca Mountain a year ago and was the finalist for the Truman Scholarship. For sure, I thought I would get to ask the Yucca question that was APPROVED by CNN days in advance."

So where did the “diamonds vs. pearls” question come from?  Luisa writes: "CNN ran out of time and used me to ‘close’ the debate with the pearls/diamonds question. Seconds later this girl comes up to me and says, ‘you gave our school a bad reputation.' Well, I had to explain to her that every question from the audience was pre-planned and censored. That's what the media does. See, the media chose what they wanted, not what the people or audience really wanted. That's politics; that's reality. So, if you want to read about real issues important to America--and the whole world, I suggest you pick up a copy of the Economist or the New York Times or some other independent source. If you want me to explain to you how the media works, I am more than happy to do so. But do not judge me or my integrity based on that question."

The Huffington Post reported today that, The audience hooted and jeered at both Edwards and Obama as attacks continued -- when Obama accused Clinton of sounding like Republican candidate Mitt Romney and when Edwards repeated charges the front-runner took money from special interests.” Ticket distribution for the debate was handled by UNLV.

As to the question Maria Luisa wanted to ask, she posted it on her blog: “Yucca Mountain, NV is the proposed site for the country's nuclear waste repository. Despite scientific evidence that it is a vulnerable site, the federal government continues to push for the plan to move forward. The evidence relied on is unsound and the risks involved in transporting high-level radioactive waste across the country are high. What will you [Sen. Clinton] do to ensure that the best site/s is/are chosen for the storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel?”

Fox News reported last week that the Clinton campaign had confirmed they planted a question at a town hall meeting at Grinnell University, and the campaign said it would not happen again.  What happened in Las Vegas appears to lie strictly on the shoulders of CNN, for now.  But after the pressure the Clinton campaign put on Blitzer prior to the debate, news of a compromised question raises more questions.

Photo by SEIU International