

Anderson Cooper of CNN and Martha Raddatz of ABC News moderated the second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper proved Sunday that debate moderators need not fact-check the presidential candidates to assert control. With follow-ups and demands for specifics, they showed that it is possible to be tough without judging statements as true or false.

Early on, Cooper confronted Donald Trump with a question that has surely been on many voters' minds since Friday, when The Washington Post published a recording of the Republican presidential nominee saying in 2005 that he could kiss and grope women without permission and get away with it because he is famous.

"Are you saying," Cooper asked, "that what you said on that bus 11 years ago — that you did not actually kiss women without consent or grope women without consent?"

This is an important point; it is the difference between an admission of sexual assault and an extremely lewd — but made-up — boast. Trump did not give a straight answer, so Cooper pressed harder.

TRUMP: I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do. COOPER: So, for the record, you're saying you never did that? TRUMP: I've said things that, frankly, you hear these things I said. And I was embarrassed by it. But I have tremendous respect for women. COOPER: Have you ever done those things? TRUMP: And women have respect for me. And I will tell you: No, I have not.

It took three tries, but Cooper got an on-the-record denial from Trump.

Later, Raddatz read a question that had been submitted by a Pennsylvania voter: "What would you do about Syria and the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo?" Trump used his response time to talk about Russia, Libya, Iran, nuclear weapons and the Islamic State — basically everything except the subject at hand.

"Mr. Trump, your two minutes is up," Raddatz said coolly. Then: "Let me repeat the question." That drew a laugh from the audience and led to this exchange:

RADDATZ: What would you do about Syria and the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo? And I want to remind you what your running mate said. He said provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength and that if Russia continues to be involved in airstrikes along with the Syrian government forces of Assad, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike the military targets of the Assad regime. TRUMP: Okay. He and I haven't spoken, and I disagree. I disagree. RADDATZ: You disagree with your running mate? TRUMP: I think you have to knock out ISIS.

Again and again after that, Raddatz pushed for concrete answers. Twice she asked what Trump thinks will happen "if Aleppo falls." When Trump said he can't think of any reason to launch the kind of strike suggested by his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, at last week's vice-presidential debate, Raddatz said, "There are sometimes reasons the military does that. Psychological warfare."

"It might be to help get civilians out," she added a moment later.

And when Trump suggested that the military could "do something secretively, where they go in and they knock out the [Islamic State] leadership," Raddatz replied, "Tell me what your strategy is."

Trump did not explain his strategy, but Raddatz finally relented.

So it went throughout the night. Raddatz and Cooper had clearly resolved not to play truth squad. At one point, when Trump repeated for the umpteenth time his false claim to have opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Raddatz simply said, "There's been lots of fact-checking on that. I'd like to move on to an online question."

Raddatz did move on. But it would be hard to argue that she and Cooper let Trump off the hook.