Las Vegas NowDemocratic Presidential Candidates Visit Nevada

Democratic Presidential Candidates Visit Nevada

Eight democratic presidential candidates were in Carson City, Nevada on Wednesday to take part in the nation's first Democratic Presidential Forum. All were hoping to make an early impression on voters and get in a few jabs at their competition.

The candidates that appeared included Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chris Dodd, former Sen. John Edwards, former Sen. Mike Gravel, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Gov. Bill Richardson and Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Democratic presidential candidates will be paying a lot of attention to Nevada in the coming because, for the first time, Nevada is an early caucus state. The Nevada Caucus is scheduled between the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire primary.

This first forum was an opportunity for all of the democratic candidates, with the exception of Sen. Barack Obama who had a prior commitment, to get their message out in the same setting.

The candidates launched attacks against President Bush's Iraq war policy and also against each other.

Former Sen. John Edwards jabbed gently at Sen. Hillary Clinton saying her refusal to disavow a 2002 vote on Iraq was "between her and her conscience."

Clinton said she would begin a troop withdrawal within 90 days and she also declined to apologize for her vote.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack struck a similar note. He challenged the audience to think about what they have done to end the war.

Meanwhile, Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd dismissed a suggestion that the withdrawal of troops from Iraq would create chaos, saying that it would be difficult to create more chaos in Baghdad than what already exists.

Most of the forum focused on national politics but Nevada did get attention when ABC newsman George Stephanopoulus incorrectly pronounced Nevada causing the audience to boo and shout the correct pronunciation.

The forum was sponsored by the AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union.