Ed Martin Says He Doesn't Believe Debates Should Be "Negotiated"

Yesterday, Ann Wagner's campaign put out a press release calling for 10 candidate forums between herself and Ed Martin. In response, Ed Martin said that he didn't think debates should be "negotiated between candidates:"

By accepting these invitations as they are offered, Ed seeks to honor the community leadership role of these organizations. Ed believes all such events hould be offered and scheduled by the organizations not “negotiated” by the candidates as suggested by Ambassador Wagner.

Ten debates seems to allow a pretty good opportunity for people to get to know the candidates. However, Ed Martin routinely accused Russ Carnahan of "skipping debates" that Carnahan hadn't agreed to, and now has been involved in a similar stunt with Wagner, leading to a reported shouting match. So I have to wonder if Martin refuses to agree to 10 debates because that would diminish his ability to use alleged invitations from friendly groups to claim that his opponent was afraid to debate with him.