US presidential hopefuls in YouTube debate
Barack Obama was one of the Democrats taking part in the debate
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Tuesday, 24, Jul 2007 09:01
Democratic presidential hopefuls in the United States attempted to reach out to the internet generation yesterday, holding a special debate featuring questions submitted via the video-sharing website YouTube.
The debate, aired by cable network CNN, has been hailed as a political milestone by some commentators and comes as those wishing to enter the White House race in 2008 increasingly look to such websites to try and bolster their support.
During yesterday's debate eight presidential hopefuls from the Democrat party were asked a series of questions submitted by Americans in the form of 30-second video clips posted on YouTube.
The questions posed were chosen from almost 3,000 posted on the popular website, with Republicans hopeful of receiving their party's presidential nomination set to take part in a similar debate on September 17th.
Democrats taking part in the first YouTube debate, at a military college in South Carolina, were asked for their views on a range of issues including healthcare and same-sex marriage.
Iraq, in particular, sparked a lively discussion between the presidential hopefuls.
Asked whether the Democrats were guilty of playing politics with the war, Ohio representative Dennis Kucinich replied: "Yes, it is politics. The Democrats have failed the American people."
Illinois Senator Barack Obama, also against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, attacked those politicians who had voted for the conflict.
"The time to ask how we're going to get out of Iraq was before we got in," he said, in a comment not directly aimed at rival Hilary Clinton, who supported the military action.
Mr Obama, who has already proved successful in building up political support through social networking and video-sharing websites, also said that he thought Americans were ready to put aside racial divisions. The senator would become the first black president of the US if his White House bid is successful.
Meanwhile New York senator Mrs Clinton, the wife of a former president, said that she was proud to be running in the country's biggest political contest.
"I'm excited that I may be able finally to break that hardest of all glass ceilings," she said in reference to her gender.