Head to Head, Clinton, Obama Shelve Rancor

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A Democratic Debate of Historic Proportions

After CNN's Wolf Blitzer introduced them as candidates of great historical importance, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama showed some love for John Edwards at the Democratic debate Thursday night at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.

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Early on, the pair sparred over health care, each citing it as an area in which they have policy differences. They dwelled on health insurance, focusing on details and differing on how to bring the most people into a national insurance network. Still, on a night when civility reigned, Obama said their health-care proposals are about 95 percent similar.

Immigration produced subtle differences between the two. Responding to a question about whether illegal immigrants had impacted jobs and wages for African Americans, Obama rejected the premise. "To suggest somehow that the problem that we're seeing in inner-city unemployment, for example, is attributable to immigrants, I think, is a case of scapegoating that I do not believe in, I do not subscribe to," he said.

Clinton, citing a conversation she shared with an African American man in Atlanta on Thursday night who said that construction jobs now increasingly seem to be held by illegal immigrants, countered by saying, "I believe that in many parts of our country, because of employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages, there are job losses. And I think we should be honest about that."

McCain was invoked throughout the debate, both in the context of Iraq and on economic issues. Obama jabbed at him for having first opposed the Bush tax cuts and now supporting their extension. "Somewhere along the line, the Straight Talk Express lost some wheels," he said.

Clinton and Obama consistently sought to focus on their differences with the other party. Pointing to Wednesday's Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Clinton described the candidates as "more of the same."

"Neither of us, just by looking at us, you can tell, we are not more of the same," she said. "We will change our country."

Kornblut reported from Washington. Staff writer Alec MacGillis in Los Angeles contributed to this report.