News / Politics
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards Tackle Leadership, Iraq During Democratic Debate
While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the clear front-runners in the Democratic presidential race they were subjected to attacks on their leadership abilities and track record on Iraq by John Edwards during last nights Democratic debate in New Hampshire.
Edwards questioned the leadership skills of both Obama and Clinton in relationship to the war in Iraq. While both Obama and Clinton voted against continuing to fund the war after a timeline had been removed from the bill Edwards criticized the two for being too passive on the issue. The former presidential candidate said the two front-runners should have taken a more prominent role in voicing their opinion on the matter rather than waiting until the last minute to reveal their stance. Edwards pointed out “they were among the last people to vote, I think all of us have a responsibility to lead on these issues.’
It was clear from the start that Edwards was attempting to differentiate himself from his two chief rivals yet Obama was not going to stand quietly while the former North Carolina senator threw verbal jabs. The senator from Illinois took exception to Edwards’ critique on the vote and said “You're about four and a half years late on leadership on this issue.”
Obama was quick to remind people that Edwards had fully supported the use of the military in 2002 and even defended the war during his 2004 presidential campaign.
Clinton, currently holding a large lead over her fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls, tried to sway the debate towards the distinction of Democrats and Republicans and offered “The differences among us are minor. The differences between us and Republicans are major, and we don't want anybody in America to be confused.”
Edwards wouldn’t allow Clinton off that easy, saying, “There are differences between us, and I think Democratic voters deserve to know the differences between us.”
Throughout the debate it was clear that Edwards was trying to separate himself from both Obama and Clinton.
