Boris Krstovic

"This is going to be one of the most important elections we've ever had in our country's history, and it is important that we have a candidate who is tested as a president who is ready to lead from day one."

With moderator Wolf Blitzer serving as ringmaster and referee, the candidates sparred over health care, Social Security, illegal immigration, the war in Iraq and foreign trade.

Clinton, running far ahead in the national polls, has come under sharper attack in recent weeks from her opponents, a fact she acknowledged at the beginning of Thursday's debate by saying she had worn an "asbestos" pantsuit.

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois -- Clinton's closest rival -- went on the offensive, saying that "what the American people are looking for right now is straight answers to tough questions, and that is not what we've seen out of Senator Clinton on a host of issues." Watch audience reactions influence debate »

On Iraq, Obama said he wanted to talk to friends and enemies alike to end the war.

"That's why we can get our troops out -- our combat troops out within 16 months. That's why we have to initiate the kind of regional diplomacy, not just talking to our friends, but talking to our enemies, like Iran and Syria, to try to stabilize the situation there," Obama said.

Clinton had her sharpest exchanges with former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who accused the former first lady of inconsistency on a variety of issues.

"Sen. Clinton says she will end the [Iraq] war. She also says she will continue to keep combat troops in Iraq and continue combat missions in Iraq," Edwards said.

"She says she will turn up the heat on George Bush and the Republicans, but when the crucial vote came on stopping Bush, Cheney and the neocons on Iran, she voted with Bush and Cheney."

"She says she will bring change to Washington, while she continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged and is corrupt," he said.

Clinton responded by criticizing Edwards for making a personal attack. Watch candidates make clear who they're chasing »

"I don't mind taking hits on my record on issues, but when somebody starts throwing mud, at least we can hope that it's both accurate and right out of the Republican playbook," she said.

"For him to be throwing this mud and making these charges I think really detracts from what we're trying to do here tonight. We need to put forth a positive agenda for America."

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson pleaded with his fellow debaters for a more civil atmosphere. See highlights from the debate »

"It seems that John wants to start a class war. It seems that Barack wants to start a generational war. It seems that Sen. Clinton, with all due respect on her plan on Iraq, doesn't end the war," Richardson said.

"All I want to do is give peace a chance," he said.

Some of the candidates further back in the pack also decried the wrangling between Clinton, Edwards and Obama.

"The American people don't give a darn about any of this stuff that's going on up here," said Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut said that "when a campaign is about turning up the heat or who's angrier or who's yelling louder, the American people turn off."

Responding to a question on education, Richardson decried underpaying teachers and what he called disrespect for teachers.

"We underpay them," he said. "I would have a minimum wage for all teachers starting out at $40,000 a year."

Meanwhile, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio accused Edwards of voting to open Chinese trade and bearing some responsibility for dangerous imported Chinese products.

"John, you voted for China trade, understanding that workers were going to be hurt," Kucinich said.

Thursday's event was the first debate of the campaign season in Nevada, a key battleground state with a large Latino population that will hold Democratic caucuses on January 19.

Clinton has a large lead over her rivals among Nevada Democratic caucus-goers, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday.

Answering a question from the mother of a U.S. soldier concerned that the United States might go to war against Iran, Clinton defended her vote for a Senate resolution declaring Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group.

Critics charge it could be used by President Bush as a green light for an attack.

Clinton said that while she opposed any "rush to war," there was "no basis" for the fear that the Senate resolution authorized an attack on Iran.

"The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has assisted the militias and others in killing our Americans and maiming them [in Iraq]," she said. "They have imported technology and technical assistance. I believe they are a terrorist group."

Obama -- who missed the Senate vote on the resolution but has said he opposes it -- said the problem with the measure was that it went beyond identifying the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

The Philadelphia Eagles in their signature green uniforms. The team has mounted a "Go Green" campaign to protect the environment. (Reuters)

Philadelphia Eagles Mount Massive Environmental Effort, From Beer Cups to Air Travel

By NED POTTER
Sept. 25, 2007

It's only a coincidence that the Philadelphia Eagles wear green jerseys.

The Eagles have quietly become the most environmentally friendly team in the National Football League, and perhaps in all of major league sports.

When the lights come on for an Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field, 30 percent of the power comes from so-called clean sources, such as wind power and methane reclaimed from landfills.

When the Eagles fly to an away game, their organization plants trees in the Philadelphia area to make up for the carbon dioxide emitted by the team's plane.

If you go get a beer at halftime, you'll notice recycling bins every 46 feet on the concourse. Why that distance? Because a study showed people will actually walk that distance to drop off a plastic cup for recycling; any further, and the cups will just be dumped with regular trash.

The team's tickets are printed on recycled paper. So are the programs. Even the machine that vacuums the field after the game runs on biodiesel.

And the list goes on. A team slogan is "Go Green." The double meaning is intentional.

The effort was begun in 2003 by the team's owners, Jeffrey and Christina Weiss Lurie, both former Hollywood producers who bought the Eagles in 1994.

"Game days have a huge environmental impact considering traffic, trash, energy and material consumption, and water use," said Christina Lurie when they made the effort public this year.

"There is a concerted effort, not only to recycle, but to reduce the environmental footprint of a huge sports organization, by implementing green principles in all areas of the business," said Bonnie Grant, the Eagles' director of communications.

The office building in which she and the rest of the team's staff works has solar panels on the roof. They turn to track the sun in the sky during the day, so that they generate a third more electricity than most such arrays.

Team employees are offered reimbursement if they sign up with their local power company for renewable energy. So far, said Grant, 112 of the Eagles' 200 employees have taken the deal.

People who have dealt with the team's management say the "Go Green" campaign is not just grandstanding. A case in point: John Hanger, president of the environmental group PennFuture, tried to give the team an award for its efforts -- and was held at arm's length for three years.

"They've not been eager to trumpet this, because I know for a fact that they wanted to make sure that their nest was clean before talking about it much in public," said Hanger. "They've been really concerned that if they were playing the role model, they were a real role model."

"There are many corporations in America who are eager to do something that demonstrates environmental stewardship," he said. "That 'something' often is very little."

What is the benefit for the Eagles? Some of the energy savings will pay for themselves in the long term, said team executive Grant, but for now, "if we can be an example, that's all the better."

She said the organization has invested "well over seven figures" in the environmental effort, "but it is a critical investment because it is about the future of our children and our planet."

Oh, by the way -- one place the campaign has not paid off, so far, is on the playing field. The Eagles only won their first game of the season this weekend.