To have a reputation for
steely resolve evaporate in the face of tremendous egos that regard moderators as insignificant zeroes to be
smote by their personal and political agendas.
Based on
Jim Lehrer's inability to restrict the Presidential candidates in time or topic, despite considerable experience in moderating Presidential debates. Lehrer further complicated his job by reminding the candidates about limited time remaining through verbose passive-aggressive murmurings.
"He is known for his commanding ability to prevent presidential candidates from exceeding their time when responding during a debate." - removed Wikipedia comment posted after the debate