Clinton, Obama throw sharpest elbows yet at debate

After days of fighting through surrogates or individual media appearances, Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) went directly at each other in South Carolina Monday night, engaging in their sharpest exchanges to date.

At the debate in Myrtle Beach, sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, Clinton and Obama battled over all of the issues that have dominated the Democratic presidential campaign since the two senators split the first two contests of the year.

{mosads}Meantime, former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) likely won favor with viewers by repeatedly trying to take the high road and stay above Obama’s and Clinton’s demolition derby.

Monday night’s debate, which not coincidentally was held on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, is a likely harbinger of just how fierce the next few days will be as the contenders vie for the crucial black vote represented by voters in Saturday’s South Carolina Democratic primary.

After a seemingly endless series of debates last year, Monday night’s duel showed Clinton and Obama with their gloves off, with the Illinois senator saying repeatedly that the former first lady and her husband have a problem with the truth and with Clinton attacking Obama’s record and a past associate.

In the opening questions of a fairly free-wheeling debate, the economy was supposed to take center-stage. What started out as the now familiar back-and-forth criticisms about economic and trade issues quickly turned into more acidic exchanges between the two frontrunners.

The sparring between the two Democrats reached an intensity that has not been seen so far in the contest when Obama told Clinton that, while he was a community organizer, she was “a corporate lawyer sitting on the board of Wal-Mart.”

Moments later, Clinton returned the favor, pointing out that she has fought the same fights as Obama except when he was representing contributor Antoin Rezko, who she said was representing “slumlord” businesses in Chicago.

The two also traded shots over the role of former President Bill Clinton in the race, as Obama said it was the former president who said Obama spoke favorably of former President Ronald Reagan.

“I’m here; he’s not,” Clinton shot back.

Obama responded: “I can’t tell who I am running against sometimes.”

Throughout the night, Clinton repeatedly sought to portray Obama’s voting record and his explanations for those votes as mismatched.

“Sen. Obama, it is very difficult having a straight up debate with you because you never take responsibility for any vote,” Clinton said to boos.

Obama, on the other hand, said Clinton “will say anything to get elected.”

As was the case throughout the night, Edwards looked at times like a referee, an honest broker or a fight promoter as he either sought to provoke the two frontrunners with the other’s charges or seek the high road.

After one particular fierce and lengthy exchange, Edwards got a chance to speak and wasted no time in saying, “We have got to understand this is not about us personally. It’s about what we are trying to do for this country.”

After the commercial break, with the candidates seated and the focus turning to race issues, the debate took on a much more civil tone and stayed that way until close to the end when Edwards decided to go after Clinton.

Edwards directly asked Clinton if she would ban lobbyists from the White House if she were president, leading to a sharp exchange between the two before Obama got involved to take on Clinton on national security issues.

Saturday’s primary is the Democrats’ last small, singular stage contest before the race for the nomination moves into the multi-state, expensive media market contests of Super Tuesday and possibly more.

The Palmetto State’s primary is also crucial given how important the black vote is to the eventual Democratic nominee’s chances in the general election. After contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, South Carolina represents the candidates’ first audition between a significant black electorate.