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| Democrat hopefuls hold TV debate | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Democratic presidential contenders are holding their first televised debate ahead of the 2008 US election. | |
| Eight candidates are taking part in the 90-minute debate at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. | |
| Speakers urged President George W Bush not to veto a bill passed by both houses of Congress to set a timetable for withdrawing US troops from Iraq. | |
| If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will," said New York Senator Hillary Clinton. | |
| Another front-runner, Illinois Senator Barack Obama, said: "We are one signature away from ending this war." | |
| However, the president is expected to veto the bill next week. | |
| Health care and the environment are also expected to be discussed. | |
| The debate is being broadcast across the US, and it is also streamed live on the internet, allowing bloggers to comment on what is said as it happens. Viewers have also been invited to e-mail in questions. | |
| The Republican contenders will hold their first televised debate on 3 May in California. | |
| Presentation politics | |
| Observers will be keen to see how the performances of Mr Obama, a relative newcomer to the political scene, and Mrs Clinton, who has years of experience, compare. | Observers will be keen to see how the performances of Mr Obama, a relative newcomer to the political scene, and Mrs Clinton, who has years of experience, compare. |
| A spokeswoman for Mrs Clinton's campaign told the Associated Press news agency she had been reviewing notes and going through mock question-and-answer sessions. | A spokeswoman for Mrs Clinton's campaign told the Associated Press news agency she had been reviewing notes and going through mock question-and-answer sessions. |
| DEMOCRATIC CONTENDERS Joe BidenHillary ClintonChris DoddJohn EdwardsMike GravelDennis KucinichBarack ObamaBill Richardson | |
| Mr Obama's campaign also said he had spent some time preparing, although it did not give details. | Mr Obama's campaign also said he had spent some time preparing, although it did not give details. |
| Political commentator Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the BBC News website that more attention would be paid to how the candidates present themselves than to what they say. | |
| "These are all Democrats. It's not as if you are going to expect very, very different opinions, it's not as if it's liberals versus conservatives," he said. | |
| "What most people are going to get will be the 10 seconds that appear the next morning on the news shows. These are apt to focus on either some clever remark or some error, somebody slipping on a banana peel, or some personality question." | |
| All the Democratic contenders are currently focused on winning their party's nomination in the primaries early next year. The chosen candidate will then fight the Republican nominee in the November 2008 election. | |
| "The significance of the debate is that it is in South Carolina, one of the four states that are quite important in terms of the possibility of building momentum before the 'super Tuesday' of 5 February, when the nomination will really be decided," Mr Hess said. | |
| Mr Hess said the debate would also represent a "moment in the sun" for less high-profile candidates, such as Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson and Joe Biden, giving them a chance to reach a wider audience than usual. | |
| Tune in | |
| With candidates allowed 60 seconds to answer a question, they can expect about 11 minutes of air-time each. | With candidates allowed 60 seconds to answer a question, they can expect about 11 minutes of air-time each. |
| Tom Matzzie, of liberal activist group MoveOn.org, told the BBC that viewers wanted to see the Democratic candidates show unity in wanting to end the Iraq war. | |
| The decision to stream the debate live on the internet could make a difference to how much impact it had on the public, he said. | |
| "Millions of Americans use the internet to engage in politics. It's another way to tune in, even if you can't watch it on television," he said. | |
| "You can always watch it on video on the internet any time you want." | |
| The debate is being hosted by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. |