Story highlights Mike McCurry is the co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates

McCurry: "I think the job description is to get out of the way of the candidates"

Washington (CNN) The moderators of the upcoming presidential debates should take a backseat approach when it comes to intervening between the candidates, the co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates said Saturday.

Mike McCurry, a former press secretary for President Bill Clinton, told CNN's Michael Smerconish that there's no place for moderators with "strong opinions."

"I think the job description is to get out of the way of the candidates. The candidates are the ones that have to fact-check each other," he said.

When considering how moderators should approach their task, McCurry emphasized that they should learn from long-time CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer's approach

"He said the first thing you should do as a moderator before the debate is go look in the mirror and say, 'It's not about me,'" McCurry said.

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