Democratic Senate hopeful Jim Webb and incumbent George Allen, R-Va., appeared in their first televised debate yesterday on NBC's "Meet the Press," hosted by Tim Russert.
The candidates discussed myriad issues, including the war in Iraq, interrogation tactics, racial matters and the political blunders that cropped up during the campaign season.
Over half of the debate was dedicated to heated discussion of the war in Iraq. Allen, a staunch supporter of the war effort, said he still supports America's presence there.
"We're going to do what it takes to succeed," Allen said, in reference to increasing troop support. "You've got to stand by your decision."
When asked if he would have voted differently if he had known about the fallibility of the CIA intelligence that served as a basis for the war, Allen replied, "I stand by my vote, based on the information and evidence [that was] before us."
Webb, former Navy Secretary under Reagan, referred to the war as "an incredible strategic blunder" and countered that only increased diplomacy and gradual troop withdrawal will remedy the situation.
"We've got people pulling their third and fourth tours in Iraq--we're burning out our people," Webb said. "We need to get other countries in the region overtly involved in a diplomatic process."
According to Politics Prof. Larry Sabato, this heavy focus on the war in Iraq allowed Webb to emerge as the clear winner of the debate.
"Webb clearly edged Allen in the debate," Sabato said. "Slightly more than half of the debate was about Iraq, which is Webb's number-one platform plank. He was aggressive, decisive, and confident; Allen seemed defensive and evasive on that subject."
The second half of the debate featured brief debate over interpretations of the Geneva Convention, racial issues and an opportunity for each candidate to discuss the political blunders that have marred their campaigns thus far.
Webb discussed the 1979 publication of his infamous article, "Why Women Can't Fight," and while he didn't apologize, he did say he generally supports women's participation in the military.
"There are many pieces in this article that, if I were more mature, I wouldn't have written," he said. "I am open to assisting women [to] succeed in all areas where that's possible."
Allen was also asked to discuss a recent political gaffe--referring to University student and Webb campaign volunteer S.R. Siddarth as "macaca." Allen said he had made a mistake.
"I said things thoughtlessly, I've apologized for it," he said. "If I had any idea that word was an insult, I would never have done it. I just made up a word, I never heard it before."
In the final moments of the debate, Russert asked Allen if he would pledge to serve a full six-year term in the Senate. Allen responded, "I'm the only candidate running on ideas on education
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