Candy Crowley Speaks Out On Presidential Debate Moderator Post (VIDEO)

CNN's Candy Crowley, who was named a presidential debate moderator for the 2012 election, spoke out on being the first woman in 20 years to hold such a position.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Crowley commented on the significance of her presence as a debate moderator. "...I think, first, I am a journalist, and this is just an amazing opportunity as a journalist…. And I am a girl," she told the Los Angeles Times' James Rainey.

Earlier this year, three high school seniors sparked a conversation by petitioning the Commission on Presidential Debates to select a female moderator. The last woman to moderate a presidential debate, Carole Simpson, also spoke out in an interview with The Huffington Post, stating that it was time for a female journalist to moderate a debate.

Though PBS' Gwen Ifill moderated two vice presidential debates (in 2004 and 2008), no woman had moderated a presidential debate since Simpson in 1992. The Commission on Presidential Debates also selected ABC's Martha Raddatz to moderate this year's vice presidential debate.

Simpson also spoke out on HuffPost Live on Tuesday and commented on the 2012 presidential debate moderators. When asked why all the chosen moderators were white, Simpson said, "I was happy two women were named, but it would have been nice if a little color had been added."

Watch the rest of her comments in the video above.