For 90 minutes on Thursday night, eight Democratic presidential candidates debated before an audience made up largely of one of their party's most reliable and liberal constituencies -- African American voters -- and used the stage to urge a revitalization of domestic programs they said had faltered under President Bush.
They called for spending more on schools in poor neighborhoods to lower class sizes and raising salaries for teachers to prevent a drain of educators from inner-city schools. They called for rolling back tax cuts on the wealthy to pay for expanded health care and provide job training.
The debate was held at Howard University, an important black college in Washington. It was the third Democratic presidential debate of the campaign, but the first one dedicated largely to domestic issues and particularly the problems facing minorities.
The foreign policy flash points that had produced conflict between the Democrats at their earlier debates -- in particular, the war in Iraq -- were largely absent as the candidates spoke easily, offering jokes and compliments.
"Let me finish John's thought, because it was an important one," Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said, finishing a response by former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who was criticizing the White House response to Hurricane Katrina. "There are potential Katrinas all across this country that have been neglected."
The foreign policy issue of the night was how to end the genocide in Darfur; the candidates generally agreed that the foreign policies of the Bush administration have neglected the crisis.
"Let's face it, if Darfur had a large supply of oil, this administration would be occupying it right now," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio.......
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