The December 10th Democratic debate, that is scheduled to be hosted by ailing anchor Katie Couric, looks doomed now that CBS News writers have announced the date as the start of their planned strike. The major Democratic candidates had already announced they would skip the debate if a compromise was not made, refusing to walk across the picket line for this final officially sanctioned display.

It is seen as a major blow for CBS whos Katie Couric anchored nightly newscast is being slaughtered in the ratings. The hope was that a Couric-moderated debate would help bring viewers back to the network.

Update: The politico has the official word from the DNC.

“Due to the uncertainty created by the ongoing labor dispute between CBS and the Writers Guild of America, the DNC has canceled the Dec. 10 debate in Los Angeles. There are no plans to reschedule,” a statement from DNC Communications Director Karen Finney says.