Edwards prods Clinton about Iraq

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama did not attend the event.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Former Sen. John Edwards jabbed gently at Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday in the first all-candidates forum of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, saying her refusal to disavow her 2002 vote on Iraq was "between her and her conscience.
"It's not for me to judge," said Edwards, who -- like Clinton -- voted in 2002 to authorize the invasion of Iraq, but unlike her, has since apologized for his vote.
The event format did not permit Clinton to respond to Edwards' swipe, which stood out on an afternoon in which Democrats generally stood clear of criticizing one another and instead launched serial attacks on President Bush's war policies.
"The worst we can do is tear each other down," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who called on his rivals to sign a pledge to avoid negative campaigning and concentrate their energy on taking the White House away from the Republicans next year.
"Sign me up," said Delaware Sen. Joe Biden a few moments later. "No negatives."
Among Democratic presidential contenders, only Illinois Sen. Barack Obama skipped the event, hosted by the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Union. He campaigned in Iowa instead.
Multitude of contenders
The presence of so many candidates underscored Nevada's newfound importance in the 2008 nominating campaign. The state will hold caucuses Jan. 19, five days after the lead-off Iowa caucuses and presumably only a few days before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.
Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, the first to speak, brushed aside a suggestion from some administration allies that the withdrawal of troops from Iraq would create chaos.
"How much more chaos could there be in Baghdad than exists today?" he asked to applause from the audience at a union-sponsored event near the Nevada state capitol.
"Time has run out on what President Bush has tried to do in Iraq," said Clinton when she took her turn on stage. She touted her legislation to begin a troop withdrawal within 90 days, and as she has repeatedly, declined to apologize for her vote to authorize the war in 2002.
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack struck a similar note. "I want to challenge every single one of you and ask a simple question, what have you done today? What have you done today to end this war in Iraq?
"It needs to be ended now. Not six days from now, not six months from now. Not six years from now. It needs to be ended now, and it is up to you," he said.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel also vied for support.
Topic of troop withdrawal
Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee, said it was time to begin a troop withdrawal. "I voted for this war. I was wrong to vote for this war. I should never have voted for this war. I take responsibility for that. No one else is responsible for it.
He added, "But the truth is, if we want to live in a moral and just America, and we want America to be able to lead in a moral and just world. We need a leader who is honest, open and decent and trying to do the right thing."
George Stephanopoulos, serving as moderator, asked Edwards moments later whether he had been referring to Clinton.
"Well, whether it's good enough I think it's between her and her conscience. It's not for me to judge," said the former North Carolina senator.
The program called for each contenders to make brief opening comments, then field three questions from Stephanopoulus, an ABC News broadcaster and former aide in Bill Clinton's White House. That meant, for example, that Clinton was backstage when Edwards spoke.
GOP spin
The Republican National Committee used the forum to try to put its own spin on the candidates, releasing "research documents" containing unflattering critiques of each of the Democrats hours before the event.
In recent years, Democrats have sensed political opportunity in the mountain West, a fast-growing region long dominated by Republicans. Nevada, with its large Hispanic population and influential labor unions, was considered a battleground state in 2004, and President Bush won the state by just 3 percentage points.
Wednesday's forum -- the first major candidates forum of the election -- was promoted by the state's senior senator, Majority Leader Harry Reid, to draw attention to the state's early caucus.
The party's 2008 nominating convention will be in Denver the capital of a mountain state where Democrats won the governor's office and picked up a congressional seat in 2006.
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