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06 January 2004

The 2004 Iowa Presidential Debate

Marked by criticism of Dean; Bush

By Alexandra M. Abboud
Washington File Staff Writer

Seven of the nine Democratic candidates for the U.S. presidency gathered together on January 4 to participate in the Iowa Democratic Presidential Debate. The debate is part of the run-up to the January 19 Iowa Caucus which is widely considered the first real test of the strength and electability of the presidential candidates in an election year.

Candidates who participated included former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun, U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, and U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.

General Wesley Clark and the Reverend Al Sharpton opted out of the debate to concentrate their efforts and resources on later primaries. Senator Joseph Lieberman, even though he declined to participate in the Iowa Caucuses, chose to participate in the debate.

The questions posed to the candidates were provided by Iowa residents. They encompassed a wide variety of issues including the war on terrorism and the Middle-East peace process, and many domestic issues such as the economy, unemployment, Social Security and health care.

Throughout the debate, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, widely considered the Democratic front-runner, faced criticism from his opponents on many issues, including the war in Iraq.

Dean defended his statement that the U.S. is not safer since the capture of Saddam Hussein by military forces in Iraq. "Since Saddam Hussein has been caught, we've lost 23 additional troops, " he said. "What we should have done is...tried to get Osama bin Laden and spent that money and all those lives trying to protect America from terrorism, which is the true enemy of the United States."

Senator Lieberman responded to Dean saying, "I don't know how anybody could say that we're not safer with a homicidal maniac, a brutal dictator, an enemy of the United States, a supporter of terrorism, a murderer of hundreds of thousands of his own people in prison instead of in power."

Dean also faced criticism from Senator Kerry who has accused Dean of being soft on terrorism because of his comment to a New Hampshire newspaper that he would not judge Osama bin Laden's guilt because bin Laden may one day face trial.

In response, Dean said that although he would like Osama bin Laden to face the death penalty, it was necessary to "stand for the rule of law."

On domestic issues, the candidates found themselves addressing a wide range of topics including unemployment, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization (WTO), farm subsidies and taxes.

The candidates debated over NAFTA, with Congressman Gephardt criticizing his opponents for signing the agreement which he argues was "a bad trade deal," with inadequate labor protections. "Everybody up here, except Dennis [Kucinich], voted for NAFTA... [and] they did the wrong thing. I don't think we can win this race against George Bush with a trade policy that's exactly like George Bush's," Gephardt said. "I'm the only one who has led on this issue for over 20 years."

The debate, sponsored by the Des Moines Register newspaper, provided Democratic contenders an opportunity to present their views in advance of the crucial first test of the Iowa caucuses. As has been the case in recent weeks, the candidates spent as much time criticizing each other as they did the Bush administration which they hope to replace in November.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)