WASHINGTON, 5 June 2007 — The eight candidates running for the Democratic presidential nomination differed sharply over Iraq and terrorism Sunday night in a sometimes pointed but largely polite nationally televised 2-hour debate that highlighted their contrasting histories on the war.
The debate, held at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, was the second of the campaign for the Democratic hopefuls, and proved much livelier than the first.
Although all of the candidates participated, much of the focus was on Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, whose centerstage placement underscored their position in the contest.
Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, the front-runner in the national polls, took criticism and calmly returned it during the debate, arguing that the differences among the Democrats were minor compared with their differences with President Bush.
Hillary stood quietly between Obama and Edwards as they bickered, letting through an occasional bemused smile for the cameras. With a new Washington Post/ABC News poll showing Hillary far ahead of her rivals nationally, the former first lady projected an air of confidence and a mastery of the subject matter at Sunday’s forum.
Sen. Obama of Illinois, who in the first debate in late April appeared nervous and insufficiently prepared, had a smoother delivery this time and a more detailed grasp of policy issues.
So it was left to Edwards, struggling to catch up to Clinton and Obama in most national polls, to throw the sharpest elbows, accusing them of being passive and cautious on urgent issues, like Iraq, health care and gay rights.
“The job of the president of the United States is not to legislate but to lead,” he said — a point he repeated several times.
Edwards, who has taken one of the strongest antiwar positions of the Democratic candidates, started the Democrats’ sparring over Iraq when he praised Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut for speaking out “very loudly and clearly” against a war funding measure last month while “others did not; others were quiet.”
“I think it’s a difference between leading and following,” Edwards said.
Pressed by moderator Wolf Blitzer to be more specific, Edwards said: “Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama did not say anything about how they were going to vote until they appeared on the floor of the Senate and voted. They were among the last people to vote.” Obama responded brusquely: “I’ll let Hillary speak for herself. But the fact of the matter is, is that all of us exercise our best judgment, just as we exercised our best judgment to authorize or not authorize this war.”
Blitzer asked Edwards and Hillary whether they regretted not availing themselves of a chance to read a classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq before voting to authorize the war. Edwards said a summary of the document sufficed, and Hillary said she felt “like I was totally briefed.”
Two long-shot hopefuls — Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich — denounced what they called the lack of leadership by congressional Democrats after voters returned them to power last November.
Former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska said that all those who voted to authorize force against Iraq should be disqualified from serving as president, because “they don’t have moral judgment.”
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, who has the most consistent anti-war record in the field, said he would not use a Hellfire missile to kill Osama Bin Laden, if US intelligence located him, because assassination should not be used as a tool.
Hillary attacked Edwards over his contention that the war on terror is little more than a “bumper sticker” slogan.
“I am a senator from New York. I have lived with the aftermath of 9/11, and I have seen firsthand the terrible damage that can be inflicted on our country by a small band of terrorists,” she said.
The two-hour forum was carried on WMUR, the states dominant TV station, and CNN, whose cameras repeatedly tried to isolate the leading candidates from those in the so-called “second tier.”
In addition to the war, the eight candidates addressed a wide range of questions, including the recent immigration deal in Congress, health care, terrorism, gays in the military, genocide in Darfur, same-sex marriage and Bill Clinton’s role in the next administration, regardless of who wins. Most of the Democrats stressed the importance of repairing America’s global reputation and restoring the nation’s reputation for morality in its dealings with other countries.
