D-day finally here: Rocky-Hannity debate

After almost two months and countless insult-laden near-cancellations, the day is finally here: Rocky Anderson and Sean Hannity will have it out this evening.

The Salt Lake City mayor and the radio and TV talk-show host will square off at 8:30 p.m. at the University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall, ostensibly to argue the war in Iraq and Anderson's calls for impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

If the run-up to the sold-out debate is any sign, look for a little rhetoric and maybe some name-calling, too.

On his radio show Thursday afternoon, Hannity fielded several calls from Salt Lake listeners regarding the debate, and he expressed confidence.

"(Anderson) has given the same pathetic speech a hundred times," Hannity said. "It's predictable as the day is long."

For his part, Anderson spent Thursday finalizing his speech and visiting Kingsbury Hall to make sure a multimedia presentation he plans as part of his opening remarks is compatible with the venue's technology. Hannity told listeners he was ready to take on the mayor's "big PowerPoint presentation of defeat."

But Anderson's spokesman said the mayor is more interested in the issues than in criticizing Hannity.

"He really sees the importance of this and the seriousness of the occasion," Patrick Thronson said. "This has been covered in many instances by the media as a wrestling match or a smackdown, and he's looking at this as about serious issues that are facing our nation. It's not about personalities."

Hannity and others have been critical of Anderson using city staff to prepare his speech, but Thronson said he alone has been working on debate preparation and that it fits within his job description.

"Just like any public speaking engagement that he participates in, I've assisted him in preparing for the debate, as I would for any other speaking engagement he's involved in," Thronson said.

The debate has its roots in an off-the-cuff challenge Hannity made on his radio show March 8, reacting to Anderson's response after Fox News Channel canceled the mayor's appearance on the "Hannity & Colmes" show.

Anderson suggested in media reports that Hannity may have been too scared to have Anderson on the show. Hannity responded, "I will fly out to Salt Lake City at my own expense for charity, and I will debate the merits of the war, impeachment and the liberal-conservative debate of our time."

More than once, the event almost became the debate that never was. Throughout the negotiations for the debate, both Hannity and Anderson have accused each other of grandstanding, obstruction and dishonesty — all with a healthy dose of epithet-hurling and second-guessing by both sides.