Final Democratic debate in Iowa steers clear of controversy

IN A state that doesn’t respond well to political aggressiveness, the final Democratic presidential debate in Iowa on Thursday took a rather cordial tone.

Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton and former senator John Edwards are in a tight race in this state. They played safe by sticking to rehearsed lines and steering clear of attacks.

As in Wednesday’s Republican debate, the country’s financial woes weighed heavily on the debate but unlike the Republicans, Democratic candidates called for higher taxes on the highest-paid Americans and on corporations to help offset the mushrooming federal budget deficit.