LOS ANGELES — Sen. Barack Obama described the race for the Democratic presidential nomination as “the past versus the future” as he squared off against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday night in a dramatic encounter that fell just five days before a coast-to-coast slate of contests Tuesday.
As the two began their first one-on-one debate, Clinton encouraged the audience to imagine the next inauguration — and to ask themselves which would do a better job from the outset.
The candidates, each with two victories in hand through the first four nominating contests that had delegates at stake, fell back on the paradigm that has defined the competition — change vs. experience — but drew sharp policy differences. Clinton seized the chance to portray Obama’s health-care proposal as providing inadequate coverage, while Obama said Clinton has not explained how she would force people who cannot afford coverage to buy it. But the image of the two contenders, seated side by side onstage, served to crystallize a Democratic race that has been waged for more than a year and is now in a virtual tie.
“At this moment, the question is: How do we take the country in a new direction? How do we get past the divisions that have prevented us from solving these problems year after year?” Obama said in his opening remarks.
“Well, on January 20th, 2009, the next president of the United States will be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol, and I as a Democrat fervently hope you are looking at that next president — either Barack or I will raise our hand and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States,” Clinton said in her introduction. “And then when the celebrations are over, the next president will walk into the Oval Office and waiting there will be a stack of problems.”
The debate was the first since John Edwards, former senator of North Carolina, withdrew from the race. In past forums, he often played the role of aggressor and sometimes seemed to side with Obama. He has not endorsed either candidate, instead asking each to keep his signature issue of poverty on their agendas. But his supporters are prime targets for both Clinton and Obama heading toward Super Tuesday.
The Kodak Theatre, site of the Academy Awards presentations in the heart of Hollywood, served as the venue for Thursday’s forum, and the pre-debate spectacle on the streets outside rivaled Oscar night. Hollywood stars scrambled to try to get what was considered one of the hottest tickets in town and, according to reports, many came up empty-handed.
Among the stars in the theater were Diane Keaton, Jason Alexander, Pierce Brosnan, Rob Reiner, Stevie Wonder, Kate Capshaw, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Whitford and Gary Shandling.
The debate was sponsored by CNN, the Los Angeles Times and the Politico Web site. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer served as moderator, with Doyle McManus of the Times and Jeanne Cummings of Politico also questioning the candidates.
With 441 delegates at stake, California is the biggest prize in Tuesday’s slate of contests, a fact that served to heighten the importance of the 90-minute session. But neither candidate was planning to spend much time in the area, given the demands of navigating a 22-state landscape with few days left for campaigning.
The list of states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses includes such other big states as New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Missouri, but the landscape includes contests in every region of the country.
More than half of the 2,025 delegates needed to win the nomination are at stake Tuesday in what amounts to a virtual national primary and the biggest single day in the history of presidential nomination fights.
Clinton and Obama are in a fierce competition to come out of Super Tuesday with a lead in delegates, which they believe could set them on a course to win what has become one of the most compelling battles in the party’s history.
Strategists for Obama were lowering expectations Thursday for the contests, suggesting that while his trajectory is on the rise, he may not have enough time to catch and overtake Clinton.
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