Clinton throws counterpunch in Democratic debate

LAS VEGAS — This time, Hillary Clinton was waiting when rivals John Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama went after her in a Democratic presidential debate.

The New York senator eagerly swung back at both in a raucous, two-hour debate as her two closest rivals picked up their criticisms where they left off two weeks ago in their previous debate, one that shook up the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I don't mind taking hits on my record, on issues, but when somebody starts throwing mud, at least we can hope that it's both accurate and not right out of the Republican playbook," Clinton said of Edwards.

She then accused Obama of wimping out on health care, a vital issue for Democrats.

"He talks a lot about stepping up and taking responsibility and taking strong positions," Clinton said. "But when it came time to step up and decide whether or not he would support universal health-care coverage, he chose not to do that. His plan would leave 15 million Americans out."

Obama protested that his plan was comprehensive. But, while Clinton, Obama and Edwards all propose similar and complex plans to overhaul U.S. health insurance, Obama's alone would not require everyone to sign up, and experts estimate that could leave out up to 15 million Americans.

The sharp exchanges came as the campaign enters the final two months before voting starts, with Edwards and Obama sensing an opportunity since their strong challenges and a stumbling performance by Clinton at an Oct. 30 debate caused her lead to erode in national polls and her air of inevitability to be shaken.

Thursday's debate, the fifth of six forums sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, was held on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and was aired nationally on CNN. Anchor Wolf Blitzer was moderator.

Seven Democrats participated: Clinton, Obama, Edwards, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.

Some in the crowd did not like the raw-edged confrontations. Some moaned with displeasure, for example, when Obama criticized Clinton for refusing to support an increase in Social Security taxes on those making more than $97,000 a year.

Clinton said that would be a $1 trillion tax increase on middle-class Americans. Obama said only 6 percent of Americans earn $97,000 or more, so his proposal wouldn't hit the middle class, but the upper class. He said she was distorting numbers to make her point: "This is the kind of thing that I would expect from Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani," Obama said, drawing groans of disapproval.

On stage, other candidates lamented the clashes among Clinton, Edwards and Obama as irrelevant.

"The American people don't give a damn about any of this stuff that's going on up here," said Biden, adding that voters are concerned about their children's safety and education, their own health care, their jobs and the security of their retirement.

"When we waste time on the shrillness of the debate, the American people turn off," Dodd said.

"It seems that John [Edwards] wants to start a class war. It seems that Barack wants to start a generational war," said Richardson. "All I want to do is give peace a chance ... . Let's stop this mudslinging."

Clinton parried a question about whether she had "exploited gender" when her campaign complained after the last debate that her male rivals had been "piling on" against her.

"I'm not exploiting anything at all. I'm not playing, as some people say, the gender card here in Las Vegas," Clinton said. "I'm just trying to play the winning card ... People are not attacking me because I'm a woman. They're attacking me because I'm ahead."

With the race tightening in some recent polls, Obama and Edwards pressed their case against Clinton as a poor choice for the party.

"Sen. Clinton, I think, is a capable politician," Obama said in the opening moments of the debate. "But what the American people are looking for right now is straight answers to tough questions. And that is not what we've seen out of Sen. Clinton on a host of issues, on the issue of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants."

He added: "Right now, we need a different kind of politics."

Edwards, of North Carolina, sounded a similar theme, all but accusing Clinton of being two-faced.

"Sen. Clinton says she will end the war. She also says she will continue to keep combat troops in Iraq and continue combat missions in Iraq. She says she will turn up the heat on George Bush and the Republicans. But when the crucial vote came on stopping Bush, Cheney and the neocons on Iran, she voted with Bush and Cheney," Edwards said.

Clinton, who has admitted she had a poor night at the prior debate, was ready to counterattack, joking that she wore an asbestos pantsuit to guard against being singed by the criticisms.

Material from The Washington Post is included in this report.