NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - CBS News' Bob Schieffer said moderating the debate between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama won't be nearly as unnerving as his Grand Ole Opry debut was Sunday.
"I was nervous coming between Trisha Yearwood and Brad Paisley. I may be moderating the third presidential debate, but I'm not feeling near the pressure," Schieffer told the crowd at the Ryman Auditorium, where he performed on the long-running country music program with the band Honky Tonk Confidential.
Schieffer stood in front of the Opry's red barn backdrop wearing jeans and boots and, at times, a white cowboy hat. He sang a humorous song about becoming a TV anchorman set to the tune of "Hot Rod Lincoln." Later, he joined Paisley for the chorus of Paisley's hit "Alcohol."
"Tonight I feel like I'm in some sort of parallel universe," he told the audience, mostly journalists in town to cover the Tuesday debate at Belmont University.
The show, a special edition of the Opry, was organized by the university and Gaylord Entertainment and featured Belmont alum Yearwood, Paisley, Josh Turner and Julie Roberts. Darius Rucker, longtime frontman for the pop/rock group Hootie & The Blowfish and now a country artist with a No. 1 song and album, also performed.
"There's no debating here tonight," Turner said, "Nashville is the home of country music."
The Grand Ole Opry, which celebrates its 83rd year this month, is no stranger to presidential politics. Several presidents have paid a visit to the folksy show, with its cloggers and corny jokes.
On Sunday, the performers refrained from talking politics, though Paisley did joke about a so-called smear campaign in Tennessee involving Obama's campaign signs.
"They're putting a G in front" so they read Go Bama, "and it's wrong," Paisley deadpanned.
Mostly, though, the stars shared the sentiments of Yearwood who said, "I'm proud to see the debate happen for Belmont and for Nashville." |