War in Iraq Takes Center Stage at Des Moines Democratic Debate

By Mark Geary, Reporter

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By Mark Geary

Story Created: Aug 19, 2007 at 2:09 PM CST

Story Updated: Aug 19, 2007 at 9:04 PM CST

DES MOINES -- After Sunday’s Democratic debate, KCRG-TV9 spoke with many of the democratic candidates to get a little more insight into the plans for the presidency.

Democrats spent much of the debate talking about how they would end the war in Iraq and when they would pull out troops.

Delaware Senator Joe Biden says he's the only candidate with a legitimate plan to end America's involvement in Iraq.

"You have to separate the parties. Give them breathing room. Give them local control over the fabric of their daily lives and have a limited central government in Baghdad that controls the borders, the army, and the distribution of resources," Biden said.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson pushed for a quicker exit from Iraq than the rest of the candidates.

But, the feasibility of his ideas drew some criticism.

"The issue is troops there. It's not the timetable. I don't see why we need to keep troops there. All my opponents want to keep troops there, and that's not going to work," Richardson said.

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich said Americans should trust his judgment because he's the only candidate who never voted for the war.

"If people would have listened to me, we wouldn't have had our troops die. We wouldn't be wasting 1-2 trillion dollars and one million innocent Iraqis wouldn't have perished," Kucinich said.

Another key issue many of the candidates have differing opinions on is education. Some argued for full day kindergarten and an end to no child left behind legislation.

Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel urged even more sweeping changes to the school system.

"These teachers want more pay, but they want all summer off. Give me a break. In Japan, they don't take summer off. These kids need to go to school for a full day, not ending at 3:00," Gravel said.

Finally, the issue of experience also sparked debate. Some criticized Democratic front runner in Iowa, Barack Obama for not having enough experience.

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd said his track record proves he has what it takes to command the country.

"I know how to take democratic principles and make them national policies and that I think is what's been missing in our country. We need people who can be elected and then bring people together,” Dodd said.

Now that this debate is over, all the candidates are already back out on the campaign trail trying to collect votes before the fast-approaching Iowa caucuses.

Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards declined interviews after the debate.

E-mail Mark Geary at Mark.Geary@kcrg.com

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