There has been a lot of back and forth between the campaigns (with the press often as intermediaries) on adding more debates to the schedule. After the indecisive Super Tuesday outcome, Clinton accepted four debate invitations. Obama stalled, and after a few days of questions from the press, agreed to two. The candidate maintained that he could better utilize his time by greeting voters because they find the more the candidate campaigns, the better he does.

Not good enough for Clinton - who began running an ad in the state of Wisconsin, scolding Obama for not accepting a debate prior to the state’s contest on February 19th. Obama countered with his own ad, where the narrator reads, “After 18 debates, with two more coming, Hillary says Barack Obama is ducking debates? It’s the same old politics of phony charges and false attacks.”

Today at his Milwaukee media availability, I asked Obama about Clinton’s repeated claims that he is ducking debates. Here’s his response:

done

Senator Clinton put out yet another ad on debates today:

“Maybe he doesn’t want to explain why his health care plan leaves out 15 million people and Hillary’s covers everyone. Or why he voted to pass billions in Bush giveaways to the oil companies, but Hillary didn’t. Or why he said he might raise the retirement age and cut benefits for Social Security. But Hillary won’t. Why won’t Barack Obama debate these differences? Wisconsin deserves better.”

Expect this argument to continue - at least until the next scheduled debate on Thursday in Austin.

Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe told reporters today that the campaign is focusing on Super Tuesday and had not “thought about [upcoming debates] yet.” After the Clinton campaign held a conference call in part to discuss four debates they had agreed to, including one hosted by FOX News, Plouffe was asked by reporters about whether or not they too would participate.

“We’re obviously going to set our schedule including debates, and there will be more debates, but our schedule is not going to be dictated by the Clinton campaign,” he said. “I mean, it is kind of the tactic out of the second-tier congressional campaign playbooks, so we’re a little surprised they spent so much time talking about it today,” Plouffe noted.