Oct. 30 Democratic debate transcript

Williams: Senator Edwards, do you want to take 30 seconds and respond on situational ethics?

Edwards: I do. First of all, let me be absolutely clear about this. I think I said it a few minutes ago. Nobody on this stage is pure, and that absolutely includes me. I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be.

It is true that I, like Senator Obama, have taken no money from Washington lobbyists in this campaign and no money from special interest PACs. But I am not interested in patting myself on the back, or actually talking about anybody personally on this stage.

I completely disagree with what Bill said. This is not about the past. This is about the future. This is about whether we believe this system works. I mean, we are here in Philadelphia where the founding fathers decided that the power, the sovereign power in this government should not reside with the rich and the powerful. It ought to reside with the people.

And everybody in America can see what is happening now. We don't have universal health care because of drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbyists.

The reason we haven't tackled global warming is because of oil companies, power companies and their lobbyists.

And the question is, what are we going to do for our children? I mean, I'll say this to every voter who's watching this debate: Are you -- listen, we've all stood by and watched this happen. That includes me. I'm guilty. Guilty as charged.

But the question is, are you willing to look your children in the eye tonight and say, "I'm going to turn this mess over to you"? Because if you turn your back on the incompetence and the corruption that exists in Washington today, that's exactly what you're saying. You're saying, "I'm going to let my children and my grandchildren take care of that. I'm not willing to do that."

Williams: Congressman Kucinich. You're smiling. Why?

Kucinich: Well, I'm glad to hear people take a stand for integrity. When people get money from New York hedge funds and then they attack another person for getting money from Washington interest groups, you know what? They're both right. So I'm not going to get in the middle of that one.

Now, I want to go beyond that.

The American people have a right to know what's different here among all these candidates. We haven't really established that, I don't think. And I'm the only one up here who stands for a not for profit health care system, which means that the insurance industry has enormous influence in this race.

Why shouldn't Democrats stand for universal, single-payer, not for profit with 46 million Americans uninsured and 50 million Americans under-insured?

Tim, I want to tell you something. There's got to be people watching this at home saying, "Hey, you haven't talked about me losing my job because of NAFTA." Well, I'll cancel NAFTA and the WTO and have trade that's based on workers' rights -- human rights and environmental quality principles.

Somebody's got to be saying, "Wait a minute. Who's talking about whether I'm going to have health care?" I've introduced the bill, H.R. 676.

You have somebody worried about losing their home. We need to cancel Bush's tax cuts and flip them so we give the benefit to the 80 percent, while currently it's going to the top one percent, so people will have more money so they can save their homes.

I mean, we have to talk about people's practical aspirations here. And, if we don't do that tonight, this debate is a total flop.

Williams: Senator Biden, you said recently, "While Mrs. Clinton was meeting socially with the prime minister of a country, I was sitting down and negotiating with them. I know my experience is considerably deeper and more relevant."

Do you stand by that quote, and is your inference that she is less qualified than you to be president?

Biden: I'm not running against Hillary Clinton. I'm running to lead the free world. I'm running to lead this country. And the irony is, Rudy Giuliani, probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency...

(Laughter)

... is here talking about any of the people here.

(Applause)

Rudy Giuliani -- I mean, think about it. Rudy Giuliani -- there's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11. I mean, there's nothing else.

(Laughter)

There's nothing else, and I mean this sincerely. He is genuinely not qualified to be president. Here's a man who brags about how he made the city safe. It was the Biden crime bill that became the Clinton crime bill that allowed him to do that.

They wipe it out. He remains silent.

The 9/11 Commission comes along and says the way to keep your city safe is to do the following things. He's been silent. He's done nothing.

And now he's talking about he's going to go in and he will demonstrate to Iran, he's going to in fact lay down the law.

This man is truly not qualified to be president. I'm looking forward to running against Rudy Giuliani.

(Laughter)

And with regard to my experience, hey, Bill, 1979, I was -- I led a delegation of 19 senators negotiating the START agreement with Brezhnev. I was deeply involved in Bosnia, as the first lady and now Senator Clinton will tell you. I've been negotiating while you were still in Congress, man.

And so the point is -- and I introduced the first public financing bill. If you all had been around long enough you -- maybe I've been around too long. They forget all the wonderful things I've done here.

But, anyway...

(Laughter)

All kidding aside, I'm running not against Hillary Clinton or anybody on this stage.

I'm running to be the leader of this country to put it back on track and to regain control in the world which is lost.

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