White House candidates clash ahead of first primary election

The Republican and Democratic US presidential candidates clashed on issues ranging from immigration to healthcare in back-to-back debates three days ahead of the first primary election in the White House race.

In the Democrats’ debate, former front-runner Senator Hillary Clinton accused campaign rival Senator Barack Obama of changing his positions on healthcare and “a number of issues” in a debate leading up to the crucial New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

“I have been entirely consistent in my position,” countered Mr Obama, adding that he and Clinton have a philosophical disagreement over her proposal to require Americans to purchase health insurance or face a penalty from the government.

Mr Obama won the Iowa caucuses on Thursday, and his remaining rivals – Mrs Clinton, former Senator John Edwards and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson - can ill afford for him to gain further momentum with a victory in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary as well.

Mr Obama’s candidacy has soared on his pledge to bring change to Washington, and Mrs Clinton, the former first lady, sought to blunt his advantage.

Today, Clinton told supporters: “There’s a big difference between talking and acting, between promising and performing. Over the next three days, I’m going to be making that case.”

Mr Obama, speaking at a rally today, responded to another of Mrs Clinton’s comments in the debate.

“For many months I’ve been teased, almost derided for talking about hope,” he said. “You saw it in the debates last night. One of my opponents said we can’t just, you know, offer the American people false hopes about what we can get done.”

“I know how hard this will be,” he said. “I know how hard it is going to be for us to deliver healthcare for Americans who need it... I know we will be resisted when we try to make this economy more balanced and more fair.”

Mr Obama picked up an endorsement today from former presidential hopeful and senator Bill Bradley. Mr Obama said he was grateful for the endorsement.

Mr Edwards, second in Iowa, worked throughout the debate to align himself with Mr Obama as an advocate for change in Washington, and described Mrs Clinton as a defender of the status quo.

Asked today about an alliance with Mr Obama, Mr Edwards said: “I think there is a conviction alliance.”

Then he added: “First of all, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an alliance. Let me disagree with that...”

Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton are locked in a dead heat in Hampshire, according to a poll released before the debate, each with 33% support. Mr Edwards was in third place with 20% and Richardson got just 4% in the poll conducted by CNN and New Hampshire television station WMUR. The survey conducted on Friday and Saturday had a margin of error of 5 percentage points.

In the Republican debate, Mitt Romney displayed an aggressive demeanour, reflecting the stakes in the wide-open race for the Republican presidential nomination. Mr Romney clashed with Mike Huckabee – who won the influential Iowa caucuses – on foreign policy and Senator John McCain on immigration.

“It’s not amnesty,” Mr McCain shot back after Mr Romney criticised his plan for overhauling the immigration system in the debate last night. “You can spend your whole fortune on these attacks ads, my friend, but it’s not true.”

Today, Mr Romney acknowledged: “I was incorrect.”

Mr Romney argued that his positions as he runs for president are consistent with the actions he took as governor – despite evidence that he has shifted to the right on some issues.

Mr McCain, for his part, sought to walk a careful line.

“He has changed his position on almost every major issue,” Mr McCain said of Mr Romney on NBC’s Meet The Press today. He added: “That doesn’t mean he’s not a good person.”

Mr Huckabee defeated Mr Romney in the Iowa caucuses on Thursday with an underfunded campaign. Now Mr Romney faces a strong challenge from a resurgent Mr McCain in New Hampshire’s primary.

Mr Huckabee acknowledged “a brotherhood” of sorts with Mr McCain, fuelled by Mr Romney’s criticism.

Former Senator Fred Thompson, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Texas Representative Ron Paul also shared the stage, but they were largely eclipsed for significant portions of the 90-minute debate as Mr Romney, Mr McCain and Mr Huckabee struggled for advantage.

Mr Romney walked on stage with his first win under his belt, a triumph in the scarcely contested Wyoming caucuses. The former Massachusetts governor, seeking to become the first Mormon president, said the outcome was “just the beginning.”

Two new polls in New Hampshire suggested Mr McCain’s momentum had carried him into a narrow lead over Mr Romney, with Mr Huckabee in third place. The surveys also suggested Mr Huckabee had not yet profited from his victory in Iowa.

But the results of an election in one state often take several days to show up in surveys in another state.

Yesterday’s event was part of a rare debate doubleheader, Republicans first, Democrats second, in the same hall at St Anselm’s College.

Intermission brought White House hopefuls from both parties on to the stage at the same time, an unusual occurrence that left Mr McCain chatting with Mrs Clinton.