Manchester, N.H. – Democratic presidential candidates clashed Sunday over Iraq and the security of the country since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, trailing New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in national polls, criticized their cautious approach in forcing President Bush to withdraw troops from Iraq.
While some members of Congress spoke out “loudly and clearly” last month against legislation to pay for the war through September but without a withdrawal timetable, “others did not,” Edwards said.
“They went quietly to the floor of the Senate, cast the right vote. But there is a difference between leadership and legislating,” Edwards said during the second Democratic debate.
Clinton and Obama voted against the bill – which passed – but without making a strong case against the legislation.
“I think it’s obvious who I’m talking about,” Edwards said.
Clinton disagreed with Edwards, both in his comments on her role on Iraq and in his characterization of Bush’s global war on terrorism as a “political slogan, a bumper sticker.”
As a New Yorker, “I have seen firsthand the terrible damage that can be inflicted on our country by a small band of terrorists,” Clinton said.
Still, she said, “I believe we are safer than we were.”
At the conclusion of the two-hour debate, the candidates were asked what their top priority would be for their first 100 days in office:
Edwards: “Travel the world” and “re-establish America’s moral authority.”
Clinton: Bring home U.S. troops from Iraq.
Obama: Bring home U.S. troops and push for national health care.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: Upgrade U.S. schools and push a $40,000-a-year minimum salary for teachers.
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden: End the war in Iraq and defuse tensions with Iran and North Korea.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Help “reshape the world for peace” and eliminate all nuclear weapons.
Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel: Remind congressional leaders they can end the war in Iraq now.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd: “Restore constitutional rights in this country.”
To a question on whether English should be the official language in the U.S., only Gravel raised his hand in the affirmative.
But Obama protested the question itself, calling it “the kind of question that was designed precisely to divide us.” He said such questions “do a disservice to the American people.”
All the candidates raised their hands when asked by moderator Wolf Blitzer if they would get rid of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military instituted by President Clinton.
Hillary Clinton said her husband’s 1993 formulation “was a transition policy” but one that is no longer valid.
The candidates squared off as a new national poll found Clinton maintaining a significant lead over her rivals. The Washington Post/ABC News poll found her leading the field with 42 percent support among adults, compared with 27 percent for Obama and 11 percent for Edwards.
