The Kerry campaign, after much negotiation and a rather lengthy agreement with the Bush campaign, has decided at the last minute it doesn't want to adhere to the rules they agreed upon:

Advisers for the Democratic presidential candidate demanded Thursday that the lights signaling when a speaker's time has expired during debates with President Bush be removed from the lecterns because they are distracting. The commission hosting the debates refused.

Bush's campaign accused Kerry, known for favoring long sentences and statements, of trying to violate debate rules against windy answers.

An angry exchange between representatives of the Kerry campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates took place just hours before the candidates were to meet at the University of Miami for the first of three debates, according to several officials familiar with the meeting. Kerry's team threatened to remove the lights when they visit the debate site with the candidate later in the day.

"We'll do what we have to," Kerry strategist Tad Devine said after his meeting with the commission. But he also suggested the dispute will pass once Kerry's team makes its point. "We'll beat them over the head a little bit, then we'll see what happens." [link not originally on ABC News' website :) - Ed]

Leave it to Democrats to want to change the rules. Kind of reminds me of Florida in 2000, when the Florida Supreme Court decided the laws in place regarding how elections are held and votes are counted should be changed AFTER the votes were cast. But when your candidate's in trouble, why should things such as rules and laws get in your way?

UPDATE: RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie: "Only John Kerry could be for the lights before he was against the lights."