Blitzer asked Edwards and Clinton whether they regretted not availing themselves of a chance to read a classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq before voting to authorize the war. Edwards said a summary of the document sufficed, and Clinton said she felt "like I was totally briefed."
Obama noted that former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), who was chairman of the Intelligence Committee, cited the report as a reason he voted against the war resolution. "So obviously there was some pertinent information there," Obama said.
The candidates differed over healthcare, with Edwards on the offense. The former senator has proposed rolling back President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy to pay for universal healthcare, and suggested that any candidate who said it was possible to expand coverage without spending more was being disingenuous.
"I believe you cannot cover everybody in America, create a more efficient healthcare system, cover the cracks -- you know, getting rid of things like preexisting conditions and making sure that mental health is treated the same as physical health -- I don't think you can do all those things for nothing," Edwards said.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson disagreed on the need for higher taxes, saying he expanded healthcare in his state by building on existing government programs and placing greater emphasis on prevention -- steps he said he would seek to replicate on a national level.
Edwards took issue with Obama's recently unveiled healthcare plan, saying it fell short of covering the estimated 47 million uninsured people in the U.S. "I believe unless we have a law requiring that every man, woman and child in America be covered, we're going to have millions of people who aren't covered," Edwards said.
Obama said his plan would eventually achieve universal coverage. The starting point, he said, was making health coverage more affordable by driving down costs and more heavily regulating the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. He said he would pay for his plan by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for Americans making over $250,000 a year.
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio differed with both, noting his support for a government-run not-for-profit healthcare system.
But save for a few jagged exchanges, the candidates for the most part conducted themselves in amiable fashion, agreeing on issues more often than not.
