"I made a few mistakes," said Forbes. "The key is learning from them."

In typically acerbic fashion, Dole hammered Forbes at one point in the debate for using less than complimentary photos of the Kansas senator in some ads and presented Forbes with some better shots that he had in his pocket.

After the Debate

In interviews with the media after the contest, the candidates discussed, among other topics, student financial aid.

U.S. Rep. Robert Dornan (R.-Calif.), who finished dead last in Iowa, said the federal government should not be responsible for providing funding to all poor college students.

"Let Harvard help--it's not a federal job," Dornan told The Crimson. He added that students majoring in science and engineering--being better contributors to technological advancement--should receive aid, while those majoring the humanities are "supposed to suffer."

While Dornan plans to eventually withdraw from the race to focus on his congressional re-election campaign, Dole--the frontrunner from the beginning--continues to label himself as the only alternative for a prosperous America.

The debate was held in the Granite State's ABC affiliate. The primary--the nation's traditional first--will be held across the state Tuesday