The first of six televised, sanctioned Democratic presidential debates in the young campaign season Thursday turned into an across-the-board condemnation of President Bush's economic and foreign policies.
"We should never have gone into Iraq without the support of NATO and the U.N.," said former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who wore a New Mexico flag pin on the lapel of his jacket. "Now this president is going to have to go back to the very people he humiliated and ask for their support."
Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 1988, criticized Bush for weakening 70-year-old alliances in the international community and said the president "is not doing his job" as a leader.
In addition to alienating the Middle East and "Old Europe," North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said, "he also is mishandling our relationships with Mexico and Latin America."
Florida Sen. Bob Graham, one of two candidates who voted against the Iraq War in February, said the United States should concentrate on terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, rather than Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime.
Gov. Bill Richardson and members of the New Mexico Hispanic Caucus introduced the debate at UNM's Popejoy Hall. It was the first presidential forum in history to be conducted in Spanish and English. Public Broadcasting Systems correspondent Ray Suarez and Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas moderated the non-traditional style debate, which did not pit candidates against each other, instead favoring a more conversational atmosphere.
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The debate also featured Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry; Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich; Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.
Rev. Al Sharpton, the race's ninth candidate, was unable to attend. Bad weather in New York caused him to miss his connecting flight.
Some UNM students who attended the debate said they hadn't seen a "buzz" on campus like the one last night since the anti-war protests in March.
"I haven't seen students and faculty get into it like that in months," said junior Dylan Lange, a history major. "But it was a different kind of feel from the protests; more positive."
Jessie Keefe, a senior economics major, said Kerry and Edwards came across the strongest and spoke with the most clarity. She also said that Dean, the frontrunner in many polls, was unimpressive, but she wouldn't say who she thought won the debate.
"He just didn't seem confident," she said.
One under-discussed topic during the debate was education, said Terri-Nikole Baca, a junior business major.
"We need to restore Pell Grants," Dean said after the debate. "The president has cut Pell Grants in order to finance his tax cuts and that's the wrong thing to do."
Gephardt agreed, saying, "We need to make sure that every child has the chance to get a college education."
Kucinich, who also voted against the Iraq war, was the first to discuss the U.S. economy. He said he would repeal legislation that gave birth to trade organizations such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization.
"It's time to rebuild America," said Kucinich, who also spoke more to the capacity crowd in Spanish than any of his counterparts. "We have the resources, but we have to re-open trade - in the proper fashion."
Preston Paschall, an Albuquerque lawyer, said Kucinich was the night's clear winner, as he gained "by far the most applause."
The evening's lone flare-up came between Lieberman and Dean - over the United States' trade relationships with countries that don't adhere to American labor and environmental standards.
"I must disagree with Mr. Dean," Lieberman said. "His policy would prohibit us from doing business with Mexico and Latin America. The Bush recession would be followed by the Dean depression."
