Edwards, Clinton, Obama Skirmish on Iraq, Health Care in Debate

By Catherine Dodge and Jeff Bliss
June 4 (Bloomberg) -- The three leading Democratic presidential candidates -- John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- skirmished over the Iraq war and health-care coverage in a debate last night.
In the forum, which was devoted more to rhetorical or political points than substantive differences, Edwards, 53, a former North Carolina senator, was the aggressor. In the sharpest exchange of the evening, he went after Clinton and Obama, saying they failed to provide leadership on Iraq by ``quietly'' voting May 24 against funding for the war, without forcefully arguing for their positions.
``They cast the right vote, and I applaud them for that,'' Edwards said in the second debate among the eight Democratic candidates, which was held in Manchester, New Hampshire. ``But the importance of this is, they're asking to be president of the United States,'' and ``there's a difference between leadership and legislating.''
The comment sparked a rebuke from Obama, an Illinois senator, who said that unlike Edwards, he opposed the war dating back to 2002. ``You are about 4 1/2 years late on leadership on this issue,'' Obama, 45, said to Edwards. ``And, you know, I think it's important not to play politics on something that is as critical and as difficult as this.''
Edwards, then a U.S. senator, voted in 2002 to give President George W. Bush authority to wage war in Iraq. Obama, who wasn't elected to the U.S. Senate until 2004, publicly opposed the war two years earlier as an Illinois state politician.
Minor Differences
Clinton, a New York senator who is leading in most polls, said criticism of the war should be directed at Bush and the Republican Party, not the Democrats. ``This is George Bush's war -- he is responsible for this war,'' she said. ``The differences among us are minor. The differences between us and the Republicans are major.''
Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, 64, was the only one of the candidates to vote for the war-funding measure last month. He defended his vote, saying he wants to draw down troops ``immediately,'' but the money is needed because ``lives are at stake.''
Edwards also sought to put Obama on the defensive over health care, saying he was ``the first person to come out with a specific, truly universal health-care plan.''
He said a plan Obama presented last week isn't ``completely universal,'' because it wouldn't cover all 45 million Americans who lack coverage.
Health Care
Obama countered by saying he disagrees with Edwards that coverage should be mandatory. His emphasis is on driving down costs because ``most families want health care but they can't afford it.''
All the top candidates said they would finance expanded health care, in part by repealing Bush's tax cuts for more affluent Americans. The candidates only differed slightly in identifying who would be considered affluent: Edwards said he would repeal tax cuts for anyone making more than $200,000, while Obama said he would terminate the tax reductions for those making more than $250,000.
Clinton said all the candidates agree on repealing the tax cuts, and said the bigger issue was how to fund other priorities. She didn't provide any specifics.
Analysts said that most of the candidates did well while stressing that the three leading contenders, Clinton, Obama and Edwards, dominated the forum.
`Two Tiers'
It ``reinforced the whole idea that there are two tiers of candidates,'' said Dante Scala, a politics professor at St. Anselm College in Manchester.
These top three contenders successfully projected personas they're counting on to appeal to voters. Edwards enhanced his status as the aggressive outsider with the pointed criticism of his opponents.
Striking a tough and knowledgeable image, Clinton said she would be firm with Iran on terrorism, while stressing diplomacy over military action.
``In my administration, diplomacy -- patient, careful diplomacy'' would be a priority, she said.
Clinton departed from her usually serious tone to display a flash of humor while discussing the Bush administration's foreign policy.
``We've had an administration that doesn't believe in diplomacy,'' she said. ``You know, they have every so often Condi Rice go around the world and show up somewhere and make a speech, and occasionally they even send Dick Cheney -- and that's hardly diplomatic in my view.''
Obama's Role
Obama played the role of the measured uniter, pledging to change the tax code in response to the increasing financial demands on Americans.
``Folks are feeling hit from all sides,'' he said. ``The burdens and benefits of this new global economy are not being spread evenly across the board.''
The candidates also generally struck a restrained posture on fiscal matters. Obama criticized earmarks, the pet projects lawmakers insert into spending legislation. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, 59, called for a constitutional amendment mandating a balanced budget. Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, 63, said government should adopt a ``pay as you go'' approach to federal budgeting, while Clinton warned ``there is no free lunch'' when it comes to paying for programs.
The two-hour debate was largely dominated by national security and foreign-policy issues. The candidates either were not asked about or only made passing references to taxes, trade, the global economy, poverty, education or social issues like abortion.
Immigration, Sudan
In brief exchanges, they generally agreed on immigration, gays in the military, and how to deal with Sudan and Pakistan.
They also all agreed on former President Bill Clinton, who played the same role as the presiding spirit of the Democratic contest as the late President Ronald Reagan has for Republicans.
When asked how they would use Bill Clinton in their administration if elected, the candidates agreed he should be a global ambassador to improve relations. ``When I become president, Bill Clinton, my dear husband, will be one of the people who will be sent around the world as a roving ambassador to make it very clear to the rest of the world that we're back to a policy of reaching out and working and trying to make friends,'' Hillary Clinton said.
The debate at St. Anselm College -- organized by CNN, Manchester's WMUR television station and the New Hampshire Union Leader -- was marred by technical difficulties, including audio breakdowns, voiceovers from candidates and cameramen wandering the stage.
At several points, the candidates also objected to being asked to give a show of hands on questions such as whether Osama Bin Laden should be targeted for assassination if there would be civilian casualties.
When moderator Wolf Blitzer asked the candidates whether they believed English should be the official language of the U.S., Obama objected. ``When we get distracted by those kinds of questions, I think we do a disservice to the American people,'' he said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Catherine Dodge in Washington at cdodge1@bloomberg.net ; Jeff Bliss in Washington at jbliss@bloomberg.net