Plot Summary

The second and final presidential debate between Vice President George H. W. Bush and Governor Michael Dukakis took place on Thursday, October 13, 1988, at the Pauley Pavilion at University of California in Los Angeles, California. The debate was moderated by Bernard Shaw of CNN with Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Ann Compton of ABC, and Margaret Warner of Newsweek as panelists. Bush improved in the second debate; Dukakis had been suffering from the flu and spent much of the day in bed. His performance was generally seen as poor.