GOFFSTOWN, N.H., Jan. 22 — In their final debate before the New Hampshire primary, the Democratic presidential candidates declared on Thursday that they could withstand election-year attacks from President Bush on social values and tax cuts, as they sought to allay concerns among Democrats about the party's hopes of winning back the White House this fall.þþLooking weary and subdued after three weeks of nonstop campaigning, the seven Democrats insisted in a two-hour televised debate that they could easily defend themselves against the kind of attacks on social, military and economic issues that Republicans have used effectively against Democrats in presidential elections for 20 years.þþÿThat's a fight I look forward to,ÿ Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said when asked if he feared that the White House would label him a tax-and-spend Democrat because he and his rivals want to repeal at least some of Mr. Bush's tax cuts.þþÿThat's a fight we will win,ÿ he said.þþHoward Dean, the former governor of Vermont, said he had no fear of challenging Mr. Bush on social issues. Dr. Dean noted his own opposition to some forms of gun control and his advocacy of balanced budgets as governor.þþÿI'd challenge this president on values any day,ÿ Dr. Dean said. þþAnd Senator John Edwards of North Carolina reminded the audience that he had beaten as tough a Republican opponent as the one in this White House.þþÿRemember, I didn't get to the Senate by accident,ÿ Mr. Edwards said. ÿI actually defeated an incumbent Republican senator who was part of the Jesse Helms political machine in North Carolina.ÿþþThe debate was relentlessly civil, a striking development given the fact that the candidates are five days away from the most competitive Democratic primary here since 1992. But the high stakes reinforced the candidates' efforts to be cautious. þþAgain and again they bypassed opportunities to attack one another, leading one moderator to brand the session a ÿhappy debate.ÿ And there were far fewer of the so-called rapid-response e-mail messages and leaflets that the campaigns have routinely fired off during debates to try to discredit opponents.þþThe tone at the debate, held on the grounds of St. Anselm College outside Manchester, was testimony to the extent to which Mr. Edwards's showing in Iowa, after running a campaign in which he presented himself as the most positive candidate, had set parameters for the intense contest in New Hampshire.þþNot incidentally, the candidate who has often been the most aggressive in this contest, Dr. Dean, was under self-imposed restraints after giving an unruly concession speech in Iowa that many have seized upon to question his temperament.þþThis dynamic was clearly a matter of frustration to the questioners at the debate, which was sponsored by Fox News, ABC News, WMUR and The Manchester Union Leader.þþAt one point, Peter Jennings of ABC News tried to push Senator Joseph I. Lieberman to criticize his opponents, asking whether he believed that ÿGovernor Dean and Senator Kerry have been hesitant, or would be hesitant, to take on George Bush successfully on the question of social values.ÿþþMr. Lieberman chuckled, but would not take the bait.þþÿLet me put it this way: This is a time to be affirmative,ÿ he said. ÿI'd say, nice try.ÿþþThe debate had been eagerly anticipated by many Democrats, given that the vote is just five days away and the contest is, by any measure, volatile. It was viewed by strategists as particularly important for Dr. Dean, after his difficult week, and for Mr. Kerry, who Democrats and some polls suggested had jumped to the lead, and thus was presumably being watched closely by voters here.þþDr. Dean, at the first opportunity, raised the matter that has clouded his candidacy this week: his loud and rowdy concession speech in Iowa on Monday night, an episode that his own aides say has threatened the viability of his campaign.þþÿYou may notice that my voice is a little hoarse,ÿ he said. ÿIt's not because I was whooping and hollering at my third-place finish in Iowa. It's because I have a cold.ÿþþDr. Dean, speaking softly and with reserve, returned to the issue again a few minutes later.þþÿYou know, I'm not a perfect person,ÿ he said. ÿI think a lot of people have had a lot of fun at my expense over the Iowa hooting and hollering, and that's justified. But one thing I can tell you is that I'm not kidding about what I say.ÿþþThe Rev. Al Sharpton offered condolences to Dr. Dean, up to a point. ÿI wanted to say to Governor Dean, don't be hard on yourself about hooting and hollering,ÿ he said. ÿIf I had spent the money you did and got 18 percent, I'd still be in Iowa hooting and hollering.ÿþþDr. Dean managed a grin as the audience erupted in laughter.þþThe debate featured a smaller cast than in the past, with Carol Moseley Braun and Richard A. Gephardt now out of the race.þþRepresentative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio asserted that energy was the most important environmental issue facing the country.þþÿIn the same way that President John F. Kennedy decided to bring the academic and spiritual resources of this country to have the United States reach the Moon some day, I intend to have a very infinitely interesting journey to planet Earth,ÿ he said. ÿAnd that journey will be about sustainable and renewable energy.ÿþþGeneral Wesley K. Clark repeatedly defended his Democratic credentials, as he explained why he had voted for Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan. And he declined to disavow a remark made by Michael Moore, the filmmaker, who at a rally in which he appeared with General Clark had described the president as a deserter.þþÿMichael Moore has the right to say whatever he feels about this,ÿ General Clark said. ÿI don't know whether this is supported by the facts or not. I've never looked at it.ÿþþMr. Clark said Mr. Moore was ÿnot the only person who said that,ÿ even while admitting that he had not taken the time to check the facts of Mr. Bush's attendance record with the National Guard in Texas. þþGeneral Clark read from notes at one point as he discussed the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights, seeking to clarify his earlier statement that he would support allowing women to have an abortion up until the ninth month. þþÿAs much as I respect the opinion of the Catholic Church, in this case, I don't support it,ÿ he replied. ÿIt's that simple.ÿ.þþGeneral Clark sharply criticized Mr. Bush, saying he had failed to take adequate measures to protect the nation from the attacks on the the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. ÿBefore 9/11, he did not do everything he could have done to keep this country safe,ÿ General Clark said. ÿAfter 9/11, he took us to a war we didn't have to fight, and Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda is still going strong. We were at terrorist condition orange.ÿþþThe debate came two days after the State of the Union address, which appeared in part to be an attempt by Mr. Bush to lay down his own re-election platform, rebutting criticism from the Democrats.þþMr. Bush's speech echoed in the debate here, as the candidates, for one example, answered questions about their position on gay marriage. Mr. Bush had suggested in his speech that he might support a constitutional amendment barring it.þþAmong the Democrats, only Mr. Sharpton disagreed with the assertion that gay marriage should be left for the states to decide.þþÿI am unilaterally opposed to any civil or human right being left to states' rights,ÿ he said. ÿThat is a dangerous precedent. I think the federal government has the obligation to protect all citizens on a federal level.ÿþþIn asserting that he was not out of the mainstream on social issues because his state had approved civil unions, Dr. Dean noted: ÿWe chose not to do gay marriage. We chose to do civil unions. I think that position, actually, is very similar to Dick Cheney's, who thinks every state ought to be able to do what they want.ÿþþThe Democrats, all of whom support repealing at least some of the Bush tax cuts, said they were not concerned that Mr. Bush would try to use that position to undercut them, the way Republicans have done to Democrats in a series of elections .þþÿThere was no middle-class tax cut in this country,ÿ said Dr. Dean, who supports rolling back all the cuts. ÿSomebody has to stand up and say we cannot have everything. We can't have tax cuts, pay for health care, pay for No Child Left Behind and pay for an adequate defense.ÿþþSenator Kerry said he would counter attempts to paint him as a liberal. ÿI am a veteran,ÿ he said. ÿI fought in a war. I've been a prosecutor. I've sent people to jail for the rest of their life.ÿ He added that he had voted to overhaul the welfare system, and that he owned guns.þþAsked what he would say to Republicans who tried to challenge him for being too liberal, Dr. Dean said: ÿWell, let's talk first about money. The president of the United States can't balance a budget.ÿ He added, ÿI'm much more conservative with money than George Bush is.ÿ þþHe also said he did not support gun control as much as other Democrats.þþMr. Lieberman, though, said that of all the Democrats, he was the one the White House would have the toughest time coming after.þþÿThe reason is that the Republicans can't run their normal playbook on me that they try to run on Democratic candidates,ÿ Mr. Lieberman said. ÿThey can't say I flip-flop because I don't. They can't say I'm weak on defense because I'm not. þþÿThey can't say I'm weak on values because I'm not. They can't say I'm a big taxer and a big spender.ÿþþþþþþþþ
Source: NY Times
