Join our first-ever candidate mashup and be part if the online revolution storming the barricades of the 2008 Campaign

Are you ready to take part in a new kind of presidential campaign forum, one that puts you in charge of shaping exactly what kind of viewing experience you want to have — from the questions that are asked to the ability to pick and choose what issues you want to hear about and the candidates you want to hear from?

Then, do we have a mashup for you.

Later this week, Yahoo!, in partnership with the Huffington Post and Slate, will be rolling out our first-ever online-only presidential candidate mashup — moderated by Charlie Rose and featuring all eight Democratic candidates (we have extended invitations to all the Republican candidates, and are looking forward to presenting a GOP presidential mashup later this year).

Here’s how it will work. On September 12, Charlie Rose, armed with user-submitted questions, will have a conversation with each of the candidates. After the candidates have finished talking, the tech geniuses at Yahoo! will work their magic and the next day the video will be put at your disposal — empowering you to create the debate of your choosing.

A few weeks ago, more than 100,000 Yahoo! users took part in a poll to determine the subjects to be covered in the mashup. The winning issues turned out to be the war in Iraq, health care, and education. The candidates will also be asked a wild card question that can be about any topic.

The rest is up to you. Want to see what all the candidates said about Iraq? It’s just a click away. Or maybe you just want to compare the answers of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Or perhaps health care is your primary concern and you want to see how John Edwards’ take on the issue compares to Joe Biden’s or Chris Dodd’s. The point is, you can watch what you want, when you want, and how you want. Focus on one candidate or one issue or mix and match. Then share your takes on what you see with your friends or other mashup users.

The tech advances of the last few years have turned the news and entertainment worlds on their ears, shifting the balance of power away from media pooh-bahs dictating what is important and what is not, and towards consumers — and citizens — being empowered to choose and create. Technology is poised to have the same game-changing effect on the political world.

The 2008 campaign will be the first truly 21st-century presidential race. We have entered the era where candidates routinely announce their candidacy, try out and place campaign ads, and raise tens of millions of dollars online. And they are connecting to voters via increasingly interactive websites.

This bodes well for the democratic process since it will allow campaigns to engage a whole new generation of young voters who spend so much of their time — and get so much of their information — online. It’s where they get their news; it’s where they share their views (and their pictures, videos, favorite songs, diaries, etc). It’s how they stay connected to their friends — and how they can become connected to the candidates.

So, starting on September 13, be sure to check out our candidate mashup — and be part of the online revolution currently storming the barricades of the ‘08 race.

Arianna Huffington
Editor-in-Chief
Huffington Post