No debate that focus of debate is Clinton

Tomorrow, the political circus comes to town.

Seven Democratic presidential candidates, accompanied by their entourages and the national press corps, will descend on Drexel University for a two-hour debate.

No public tickets are available for the event, which will be televised by MSNBC, starting at 9 p.m., from the Main Building Auditorium at 32d and Chestnut Streets.

The focus will be on Hillary Rodham Clinton - and the pressure, on everyone else.

The central question is whether any of them can dent the aura of inevitability that has come to surround her candidacy, or whether she will do anything to damage herself.

Her solid, error-free performances in the seven debates thus far have helped her get where she is today: at 50 percent in some national Democratic polls.

"Everybody has been standing around waiting for her to make a mistake," said Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego. "As long as she avoids mistakes, there's no reason for people to change their minds."

And it's starting to get late. There are, at most, 66 days left before the still-unsettled delegate-selection process begins, most likely with the Iowa caucuses Jan. 3.

"All of the other candidates have been too tentative in approaching her," said Bill Carrick, who ran Dick Gephardt's 2004 presidential campaign. "If they go after her in the right way, if it's about issues of substance, it's entirely appropriate and shouldn't backfire on them."

Barack Obama appears ready to become more aggressive. On Saturday in Iowa, after telling the New York Times that "now is the time" for him to distinguish himself from Clinton, the Illinois senator accused her of "ducking the issue" of what to do about Social Security's long-term financial problems.

Clinton's Democratic opponents see her as vulnerable on two fronts: Iran and electability.

What to do about Iran's nuclear ambitions and involvement in Iraq has been a prime subject of the Democratic dialogue for more than a month. And it's getting more attention now that President Bush has imposed far-reaching, universal sanctions on the country.

All of this got started last month when Clinton joined 75 of her fellow senators in backing a resolution labeling Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Two other candidates, Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, voted the other way.

Each of the Democratic candidates has criticized Clinton's vote, the common thrust being that she had given Bush a green light to move toward military confrontation.

Obama, one of only two senators to have missed the Iran vote, warned that the administration also might use it "to justify keeping our troops in Iraq as long as they can."

And John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina, accused Clinton of "cozying up to the Republican approach."

Clinton's aides responded by telling reporters that she believes "diplomacy backed by economic pressure" is the best way to check Iran. In addition, they accused Obama of being a hypocrite who has "embarked on a journey in search of a campaign issue."

Her rivals, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, are trying to show that they are more in tune with the antiwar element in the Democratic Party than she is.

The other potential vulnerability concerns Clinton's electability, a main worry of some Democrats as they contemplate her as nominee. In any number of polls, more than 40 percent of voters say they view her unfavorably.

For the rest of the Democratic field, the problem has been how to raise the electability issue without sounding sexist - or without seeming to validate Republican attacks against the Clintons over the years.

To some degree, Edwards has taken up the challenge the last few weeks; his supporters have voiced doubts about the prospects of a Clinton-led ticket. But having supporters do it is not the same as doing it yourself, said Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000 campaign.

"I want to see if John Edwards will say to Hillary Clinton in front of everyone: 'You're not electable, and you know it, and you're going to hurt people down the ballot,' " said Brazile, who hasn't endorsed anyone. "It's time to stop whispering. It's getting to be midnight."

Undercutting the electability argument are recent surveys showing Clinton running well in general-election matchups against the Republicans.

Before the debate, there will be a number of related events in the Drexel area. Several groups are planning demonstrations to promote their causes, and several presidential campaigns will stage rallies and debate-watching parties.

Gov. Rendell and Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean are to host a pre-debate reception at the nearby Cira Centre. All of the candidates have been invited to the reception, which will benefit the Democratic National Committee.

As for the roughly 800 seats in the auditorium, tickets have been distributed to members of the Drexel community, backers of the candidates, donors, journalists, and local party leaders, according to Center City attorney Mark Aronchick, who helped organize the event.

One difference between this debate and those that have come before will be the absence of Mike Gravel. NBC News barred the former Alaska senator on the grounds that he failed to meet minimal standards in terms of money raised, campaign activity, or support in the polls.

The Democrats last met Sept. 26 in Hanover, N.H. Two more party-sanctioned debates are scheduled before the end of the year, one in Las Vegas on Nov. 15 and the other in Los Angeles Dec. 10.

When: 9 p.m. tomorrow

Where: Main Building Auditorium at 32d and Chestnut Streets

TV: MSNBC

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