The town of Oxford and the University of Mississippi have dumped huge resources into the affair.

Khayat said 700 volunteers and 500 university employees have worked on preparations.

University spokeswoman Barbara Lago said the price tag, funded by private donors and sponsors, is somewhere around $4 or $5 million. She said the university has already set up a massive media filing tent equipped with tables and booths for interviews and work stations for 700 media representatives.
If McCain skips this thing over his BS excuse, he is going to piss off so many people. Maybe we should just color Mississippi blue right now...
dragonrider Reviewed by dragonrider on . Nader and Barr: Mccain may not have the guts to debate, but we do Third Party Candidates Offer To Fill McCainâ??s Debate Slot Brad Haynes reports on the presidential race. With John McCain calling to cancel Fridayâ??s presidential debate and the host university pressing forward with preparations, two third party candidates have offered to step in so the show can go on. Barack Obama has dismissed McCainâ??s call to delay Fridayâ??s debate, but that didnâ??t stop independent candidate Ralph Nader and the Libertarian Partyâ??s Bob Barr from contacting Rating: 5