Visitors to Harvard Hillel participated in the MoveOn.org Iraq Virtual Town Hall Meeting last night. Presidential candidates presented their views on Iraq and responded to participants' presubmitted questions.

While the first Democratic presidential debate will occur in South Carolina in a couple weeks, the contenders sparred over Iraq in the first “virtual” gathering of the campaign season last night, drawing about 50 people to Harvard Hillel to listen to the online broadcast.

The town hall meeting—organized by MoveOn.org, a progressive public policy organization—featured pre-recorded interviews with seven leading Democratic presidential candidates. The five Republican candidates invited by MoveOn.org declined the invitation, according to the Web site.

All the candidates articulated their hopes for a speedy resolution to the conflict in Iraq and all agreed that the war is a problem that needs to be resolved soon.

Each candidate was asked to propose the best and fastest way to conclude the United States’ involvement in Iraq.

Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) both stressed the need for Democrats to assert their power in the House and Senate.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable to give the President more of a carte blanche than he’s already received,” Obama said.

But while the candidates criticized President Bush, they emphasized the need to look past his term—and in doing so, touted their own candidacies.

“There are really two ways of thinking about it. The first is what we can do when President Bush is still in office and the second is what I will do once I’m in office,” Clinton said.

Much of the discussion focused on the future.

Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) said there is no military solution to the situation in Iraq, arguing that any resolution must be politically-based, and focused on the aftermath of the war.

“One must be able to answer a two-word question: then what?” Biden said.

Each candidate’s air time lasted for 10 minutes as they answered questions submitted in advance by MoveOn.org members, with a minute at the end to sum up their views and advocate for their candidacy.

“I may not be a rockstar, I may not have the most money, but I believe I have the best vision to be president,” Governor Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) said.

Seth R. Flaxman ’08, a former leader of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, said that the Internet format of the meeting provided a unique approach to campaigning.

“Honestly I would have preferred a live debate, but in terms of experiments with cutting-edge technology it was pretty innovative and I did like having member-submitted questions,” Flaxman said.

Nadia O. Gaber ’09, president of the Society of Arab Students and a Crimson editorial editor, said the meeting forced candidates to be “clear and concise and direct in speaking about Iraq.”

Other participants included Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), former Senator John Edwards (D-N.C.), and Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).