Democrat contenders unite against Bush
All denounce Iraq war in 1st national debate
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential hopefuls sparred genially last night on details of the Iraq war, healthcare, and guns, but they stood resolutely united in blaming President Bush for getting the country into the war and in agreeing on the need to end it.
In the first national debate of the 2008 presidential season, the eight contenders all denounced the war, with two of the group -- former senator John Edwards of North Carolina and Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut -- acknowledging outright that their 2002 votes to authorize the war were the biggest professional mistakes of their lives.
"I was wrong to vote for this war. Unfortunately, I have to live with that forever," Edwards said. He called it "a question for the conscience of anybody who voted for this war -- Senator Clinton or anybody else who voted for this war has to search themselves and decide whether they believe they voted the right way."
Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York ap peared careful to avoid attacking each other personally. Each referred to the other in a companionable manner, with Obama remarking that "as Hillary mentioned earlier . . . people are hungry for change," and the New York lawmaker referring collegially to "Barack" in one of her responses.
Obama, who was not in the Senate at the time of the Iraq war vote, said he was "proud that I opposed this war from the start" -- the closest he came to implicitly criticizing the four candidates on the stage who voted for the war resolution in the Senate -- and praised the Senate for its largely party-line vote yesterday to impose a schedule for troop withdrawal. All sitting senators at the debate -- Obama, Dodd, Clinton, and Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware -- voted for that legislation yesterday before boarding separate planes to attend the debate at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg.
Clinton -- who has drawn criticism from the left for her refusal to renounce her 2002 vote -- repeated last night that she would have voted differently if she had known in 2002 what she knows now about the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
But those candidates who are struggling to break into the top of the pack were more aggressive, denouncing the early leading candidates for failing to push legislation that would block funding for all Iraq war operations.
"I think it's inconsistent to tell the American people you oppose the war, and then you continue to fund the war," said Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, one of the most vehement war opponents in Congress and a backer of an immediate withdrawal. "The Democrats have the power to end the war right now, and that's what we should do."
But Kucinich looked tame compared with former senator Mike Gravel of Alaska, who told an amused line of Democratic candidates that "some of these people [on the stage] frighten me." Asked whom he meant, Gavel said, "the top ones."
"You, too -- you have a certain arrogance, you want to tell the Iraq people how to run their country," Gravel added, looking at Biden. "Let's get out!" Gravel said.
The candidates, who under the terms of the debate were not allowed to make opening statements or ask each other questions, stuck largely to their campaign personas. Clinton took every opportunity to showcase her policy background, while Obama frequently underscored his desire to heal and unite the country.
Edwards talked about his humble background and recent efforts to fight poverty, while Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico highlighted his diplomatic experience around the world. Biden and Dodd sought to draw attention to their experience and foreign policy backgrounds, while Kucinich and Gravel spoke passionately against the Iraq war while asserting that the Bush adminstration was bringing the country dangerously close to confrontation with Iran.
When moderator Brian Williams of MSNBC asked for a show of hands to agree that the United States is in a "war on terror," Kucinich was the lone candidate to keep his arms defiantly at his sides. He also challenged Obama, suggesting that the Illinois senator was not ruling out nuclear war against Iran because Obama said all options were on the table with the rogue nation. Iran is developing a nuclear program it claims is for energy, but others worry that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon.
"We're not going to nuke anyone right now," Obama said.
On domestic issues, the candidates talked about healthcare, abortion, and gun violence. Several of the contenders noted the need to control costs on healthcare by reducing bureaucracy and focusing more on preventive care. Edwards repeated his plan to increase taxes on the wealthy to pay for his healthcare package, while Clinton said she would not add a single dollar into the healthcare system until she figured out a way to make better use of the money currently being spent.
Biden and Kucinich implied strongly they would appoint only justices favoring abortion rights to the US Supreme Court, saying they would nominate only those who shared their values.
And on gun control, Richardson -- who Williams noted has the highest rating from the National Rifle Association of any candidate for president, Democrat or Republican -- did not shy away from the issue.
"I'm a Westerner. I'm a governor of New Mexico. The Second Amendment is precious in the West," Richardson said. While "the vast, vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding," Richardson said, he thought the government needed to do a better job of making sure criminals and the mentally ill do not get guns.
None of the candidates succeeded in knocking down Clinton, who is ahead in many polls. But Clinton's negatives remain high, and Republicans insist she is the Democrat they think they can beat in 2008.
The New York senator appeared unperturbed. "It may have something to do with the fact that I've stood up for what I believe in," Clinton said of her polarizing image. As for the Republicans, "if they were not worried, they would not be so vitriolic in their criticism of me," she said.
Biden may have had the most definitive answer to any question. Asked whether he had the discipline to stay out of verbal trouble and not say too much, the loquacious senator replied with a smile: "Yes." And he said nothing more. 