Incapacitated Democrat Senator Won’t Debate His Opponent

Last night I had an opportunity to talk with a politcally-engaged friend from South Dakota who told me something interesting about their Senate race down there.
Senator Tim Johnson, who was felled by a stroke in December of 2006, is running for re-election against Republican challenger Joel Dykstra. As late as August of last year Senator Johnson was propped up in front of supporters to announce that he was “back” and that he’d be running for re-election. During that speech Johnson couldn’t stand. He didn’t give any extemporaneous remarks. He slurred his way through a prepared statement and then was wheeled off stage.
At the time I said that the spectacle was disturbing. Senator Johnson clearly wasn’t fit at the time to be back in the public eye, and I found it a little morbid that his handlers would push him out in front of everyone like that.
From my friend in South Dakota I learned that not much has changed. To date, Johnson has refused to debate Dykstra. Even a compromise where each candidate would answer questions separately in separate rooms for 30 minutes apiece was rejected by Johnson’s campaign.
I have to ask, if this man isn’t fit to even debate his opponent during a campaign how in the world is he fit to serve in the United States Senate? Famous for being the world’s most deliberative legislative body?
Are Democrats really so power-hungry that they’d push someone like Johnson out onto the campaign trail when he’s clearly not healthy enough to be campaigning or representing the people of South Dakota in the Senate.