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Obama, Clinton Cordial In Run-Up To Big Vote

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By PATRICK HEALY and JEFF ZELENY, The New York Times

Published: February 1, 2008

Updated: 02/01/2008 12:24 am

LOS ANGELES - Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama faced off in their first one-to-one debate of the presidential race on Thursday night, delivering their final arguments before the multistate contests on Tuesday on who is better prepared for the White House and highlighting their differences on issues such as health care and immigration.

Unlike the last debate, when they pointedly attacked each other on personal conduct, as well as the issues, they aimed their sharpest words at Republicans

Clinton criticized President Bush over his stewardship of the economy, and Obama chided the apparent Republican front-runner, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, for supporting Bush-backed tax cuts for wealthy Americans after initially opposing them.

"Somewhere along the line the Straight Talk Express lost some wheels," Obama said, referring to one of McCain's political slogans.

The two candidates lavished praise on John Edwards, who quit the Democratic race on Wednesday and whose endorsement they are both actively seeking.

Obama said he and Edwards were determined to fight special interests and big business, while Clinton twice noted early on that her universal health care plan - which, unlike Obama's, includes a requirement that all Americans have health care - was very similar to Edwards'.

Obama countered that about "95 percent" of his plan and Clinton's were the same, but that he thought his proposal went further to reducing costs.

"She believes that we have to force people who don't have health insurance to buy it," Obama said, warning that Clinton's plan might put added costs on people with her so-called individual mandate.

Friendly Rapport Between Them

Their tone Thursday night was largely friendly; each candidate laughed agreeably and nodded at the other's remarks, and they praised each other at different points and looked ahead to the battle with the other party.

"They are more of the same," Clinton said of the Republican candidates. "Neither of us, by looking at us, is more of the same; we will change our country."

In the opening minutes of the debate, the two rivals laid out the central arguments of their candidacies, with Obama vowing to change Washington and fight special interests and Clinton pledging to better deal with "a stack of problems" awaiting the next president.

In discussing his health care plan, Obama also mentioned that Sen. Edward Kennedy thought the Obama proposal would be enacted - a nod to Kennedy's endorsement of him on Monday.

On one flash point, immigration, Obama cited his role in immigration reform legislation in Washington last year.

He voiced his support for states giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

"People don't come here to drive; they come here to work," Obama said.

It was an issue that stirred controversy in a debate last year, which Obama sought to raise by pointing out that his rival gave "a number of different answers on this over the course of six weeks."

"Now she does have a clear position, but it took awhile," Obama said. "The only reason I bring that up is to underscore the fact that this is a difficult political issue."

It was the first dust-up of the evening between the candidates, occurring near the end of the first hour. Clinton smiled and offered her reply.

"I just have to correct the record for one second," she said, explaining that she initially supported the concept of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants so she could help Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York.

Turning to Obama directly, she said: "You were asked the same question and could not answer it. So this is a difficult issue."

Asked by Wolf Blitzer, the debate moderator, whether she was "missing in action" during the immigration debate, Clinton was quick to reject the suggestion.

"I co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform in 2004, before Barack came to the Senate," she said.

In a sign of the high stakes for both candidates on Tuesday, when 24 states will hold nominating contests, Obama and Clinton avoided the recent rancor that has marked their head-on competition.

Blitzer Aims For More Drama

At times, Blitzer tried to coax Obama and Clinton to mix it up more intensely, at one point bluntly telling Clinton that Obama had taken a "swipe" at her over their foreign policy differences.

"Really?" Clinton said. "We're having such a wonderful time tonight." A smiling Obama concurred.

Clinton was asked why the Kennedys had chosen her rival and whether she would represent the kind of change that would inspire a nation.

"I have the greatest respect for Senator Kennedy and the Kennedy family," Clinton said. "I'm proud to have three of Bobby's kids supporting me - Bobby, Kathleen and Kerry supporting me."

She added: "I think having the first woman president would be a huge change for America and the world."

Thursday evening was the first time after nine months of debates that Clinton and Obama shared the stage alone, a visible reminder that the Democratic Party is likely to make history in 2008 by nominating either a woman or a black as its presidential nominee.

They sat only a few feet apart at desks, trading compliments and smiling glances.

Obama was quick to say that he was friends with Clinton before their presidential race began and that he would be friends with her after.

The debate was broadcast live on CNN and held at the Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards.

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