The First Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate

On Thursday, April 26th, candidates met in South Carolina to get some attention and spread their platforms. Senator Joseph Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, John Gravel, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Senator Barack Obama, Governor William Richardson were the participants and Brian Williams moderated the debate.

It comes as no surprise to anyone that the hot topic of discussion in the first Democratic Party debate was the war. The media is helping to make the war in Iraq the topic of election. If things continue on the current path, the November 2008 presidential election will hinge on the war on terror. The candidate who wins will be the person who most Americans feel can best support their view on our presence overseas and on who can best protect us from domestic terror attacks. What remains to be seen, however, is if these two issues are actually related.

Williams set the stage by beginning with a quoted phrase from Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Williams first addressed Senator Clinton, asking her if she agreed with the statement that "The war in Iraq is lost." Clinton used all of her available time and, like any successful politician, avoided answering the question directly. When the question turned to Biden, he responded more directly, stating that "[The war] is not a football game. This is not win or lose."