The first CNN - YouTube debate is happening on July 23rd in Charleston, South Carolina with the Democratic candidates. Citizens have been able to upload video questions to YouTube since June 14.

So far there are only 244 videos.

Why is that?

One thing that interests me is the fact that the only way to go watch the videos is to click on the Submit Your Question button on the YouTube Presidential Debates page.

Once there, you are presented with an interface that is crippled.

You'll notice that there is no place to leave comments and no rating system is visible.

The only way to get to the comments and ratings is to click on the entry's title. YouTube has even disabled the standard way of going to a video, by clicking on it. I can't understand why YouTube is doing this. It makes it so much harder to comment and rate these entries. Comments and ratings should be available on this page.

They are still available on the video's standard YouTube page, but then you are involved in a whole messy page forward, page back loop.

One more thing about how videos are chosen. From the website, "The CNN political team will choose the most creative and compelling videos, and if yours is one of them, you may get the chance to fly to Charleston to watch the debate live."

I think that's ironic. They'll fly you down there only to then sit back and watch yourself ask a recorded question.