Democrats Barack
Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton sparred, for the most
part cordially, over immigration, health care, and the war
in Iraq in their first one-on-one debate on Thursday
as they faced high-stakes Super Tuesday contests that
could go a long way toward determining the party's
presidential nominee.
Clinton
emphasized that the nation needed a president ready to go to
work on ''day one.'' Obama responded, ''Part of the
argument that I'm making in this campaign is that it
is important to be right on day one.''
Five days before
Super Tuesday, the two alternated between civility and
pointed swipes, underscoring the importance of the upcoming
contests. The debate came as Obama's campaign reported
raising a staggering $32 million in January, cash
aplenty to advertise all through the nearly two dozen
upcoming races from coast to coast -- and contests beyond.
Clinton's
campaign reported raising $26.8 million from October through
December, the most recent period she reported.
Clinton defended
the increasingly high-profile role of her husband,
former president Bill Clinton, in her campaign and his
recent sharp criticism of Obama. ''At the end of the
day, it's my name that is on the ballot,'' she said.
Both were asked
about the possibility of a ''dream ticket'' of
Clinton-Obama -- or Obama-Clinton.
''Obviously
there's a big difference between those two,'' Obama said.
''I respect Senator Clinton; I think her service to
this country is extraordinary.'' But he said, ''We've
got a lot more road to travel'' before such a
decision. Clinton agreed it was too early to discuss
running mates.
Both predicted
that one of them would be the next president in a
history-making inaugural. Obama would be the first black
president, Clinton the first female president.
Clinton said the
Republicans are ''more of the same,'' and gesturing
toward Obama, she said, ''We will change our country.''
Making amends for
his apparent snub of her at Monday's State of the Union
Address, Obama assisted Clinton by pulling back her chair as
the debate -- televised on CNN -- began and ended.
They then embraced.
But it wasn't all
sweetness and light.
One of their most
pointed exchanges came on the question of whether
illegal immigrants should be able to obtain driver's
licenses. Obama supports doing so; Clinton initially
supported it and now opposes it.
''Senator Clinton
gave a number of different answers over the course of
six weeks on this,'' Obama said, turning to Clinton.
''Initially, you said you were for it; then you said
you were against it.'' He said he was raising her
wavering to underscore that it is ''a difficult political
issue.''
Clinton called
the controversy ''a diversion'' from efforts to come up
with comprehensive immigration reform. ''I cosponsored
immigration reform in 2004 before Barack came to the
Senate,'' she said.
Obama argued for
his candidacy, saying, ''I respect Senator Clinton's
record. I think it's a terrific record. But I also believe
that the skills that I have are the ones that are
needed right now to move the country forward;
otherwise, I wouldn't be running for president.''
They also clashed
on Iraq.
Clinton suggested
only she had ''the necessary credentials and gravitas''
to lead the country in withdrawing from Iraq without
endangering U.S. forces or further destabilizing the
region. She said it was crucial to bring Syria and
Iran to the diplomatic table.
Obama shot back,
''Senator Clinton mentioned the issue of gravitas and
judgment. I think it is much easier for us to have the
argument when we have a nominee who says, 'I always
thought this was a bad idea. This was a bad strategy.'
It was not just a problem of execution.''
Clinton voted in
October 2002 to authorize President Bush to use force in
Iraq, while Obama opposed such authority in a speech he gave
in 2002 as a member of the Illinois state senate.
The two also
reached out quickly to backers of former rival John Edwards,
who bowed out of the race Wednesday without endorsing either
one. Both praised his efforts in their opening
statements.
Obama called
Edwards ''a voice for this party and this country for many
years to come.'' Clinton saluted both Edwards and his wife,
Elizabeth, as setting ''their personal example of
courage and leadership'' in their advocacy for the
poor.
Asked whether it
was good for the country to have another Clinton in the
White House, further extending Bush and Clinton family
control over government, Clinton drew applause in the
Kodak Theatre -- home of the Academy Awards -- when
she replied, ''It did take a Clinton to clean after
the first Bush and I think it might take another one to
clean up after the second Bush.''
The nation's
weakening economy was a prime topic, and both candidates
said they preferred Democratic-proposed stimulus plans that
would give more tax relief to low- and middle-income
workers than would Republican proposals.
Obama focused on
Republican front-runner John McCain, praising McCain's
two votes against Bush's first-term tax cuts and questioning
his support now for extending them. ''Somewhere along
the line, the Straight Talk Express lost some
wheels,'' the Illinois senator said, referring to the
name of McCain's campaign bus.
Both Obama and
Clinton nodded in agreement as they compared Democratic
economic solutions to those put forward by the GOP.
Befitting a
Hollywood audience, among the celebrities in the theater
were Diane Keaton, Jason Alexander, Pierce Brosnan,
Rob Reiner, Stevie Wonder, Kate Capshaw, Steven
Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Whitford, and
Gary Shandling.
Both candidates
acknowledged policy differences but also sought to
ratchet back what had become increasingly personal attacks
and the animosity of their last debate before the
January 26 South Carolina primary, which Obama won by
a ratio of 2 to 1.
Obama appears to
have most of the momentum as of now, including
high-profile endorsements and impressive fund-raising. But
Clinton has considerable institutional strength and is
still widely favored to do better overall than Obama
on Super Tuesday.
''I was friends
with Hillary Clinton before we started this campaign. I
will be friends with Hillary Clinton after this campaign is
over,'' Obama said.
''We're having a
wonderful time,'' Clinton said at one point. (Tom Raum
and Nedra Pickler, AP)