Presidential Debates

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton touted her work on behalf of poor and minority children, and at one point brought members of the audience to their feet, during a nationally televised forum last night aimed largely at black and Hispanic voters. After prior debates heavily focused on the Iraq war, eight Democratic presidential candidates struck few sparks as they discussed issues of racial discrimination, early education, tax fairness, criminal justice and health care in a friendly and highly collegial manner.

In 2008, Americans will pick a new president. How will we make our decision? We'll look at the candidates' records, certainly - but they'll have no record showing how they'd act as president. We'll listen to their stump speeches, but those are invariably more like advertising pitches than genuine windows into their minds. We'll watch them debate, but presidential debates mostly summon forth the candidates' usual talking points. And, of course, we'll watch countless TV commercials. Wouldn't it be better if before hiring someone to guide our country through these dangerous times, we could get a meaningful look at how he or she would perform as president?

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Republican presidential candidates found their conservative credentials under fire last night in a spirited debate that probed their different backgrounds on such issues as abortion, gun control and taxes. Their records came into play after most of the candidates worked to court conservatives by stressing their support for the U.S. effort in Iraq, condemning Democratic proposals for withdrawal, and vowing to rein in federal spending that soared under their own party's rule in Washington.

CLEVELAND - Stylistically, the contrast could not have been starker between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards in their debate. Mr. Cheney looked like Dr. Doom, and Mr. Edwards was Mr. Smiley Face. So it was surprising to hear Mr. Cheney's response to a question asked by moderator Gwen Ifill of PBS about how he is different from his opponent. His reply: "Well, in some respects I think probably there are more similarities than there are differences in our personal story." Mr. Cheney then painted himself as coming from the same working-class background that Mr. Edwards has made the centerpiece of his personal narrative.

What: Debate watching party. Where: Cockeysville Info: We don't have a big-screen TV but we do have TiVo so guests can scream and swear without the worry of missing anything. In case there's a defining moment (such as "and you're no John Kennedy") we can watch it over and over again. - From a recent online posting for a debate-watch party Imagine the possibilities: A crisp fall evening, a bottle of Yuengling, a spirited conversation about deficits and health care - all served with a large televised helping of John Kerry and George Bush.

CLEVELAND -- For 90 minutes last night, Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards blistered each other in a highly acrimonious and sometimes personal debate that mirrored the harshly negative tone of the tight 2004 presidential contest. Edwards, a freshman North Carolina senator in the biggest moment of a brief political career, tried to put Cheney, one of the most experienced men in government, on the defensive over the Bush administration's leadership in Iraq and domestic policies that, he said, favor powerful interests over the needs of ordinary people.

WASHINGTON - In the heat of last night's debate, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry both stretched the truth and glossed over important details in discussing their own and their opponent's positions. Here are the candidates' statements that drifted furthest from the facts. Bush said, "Saddam Hussein had no intention of disarming. As a matter of fact, my opponent talks about inspectors. The facts are that he was systematically deceiving the inspectors." By the time United Nations inspectors returned to Iraq in late fall 2002, Iraq had been substantially disarmed.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Sen. John Kerry sharply criticized President Bush last night for what he called a "colossal error in judgment" in handling Iraq, even as the senator defended himself against Bush's accusations that his positions have shifted with the political winds. In a 90-minute debate on foreign policy and homeland security, the first of four campaign duels, Kerry acknowledged that at times he has lacked clarity in his statements on Iraq. But he said his stumbles paled by comparison with the president's failures in managing the war in Iraq and its worsening bloodshed.