Highlights From the Union Forum

Some of the highlights of last night's AFL–CIO candidate forum in Chicago:

Senators Dodd and Clinton: Start things off by give shout-outs to the trapped miners in Utah. Remember, this is a labor forum. The candidates aren't going to let you forget it tonight.

All of the candidates: In response to questions about the Minnesota bridge collapse, apparently infrastructure isn't about safety, it's about jobs for union workers.

The crowd: This is a boisterous crowd. They're not going to hold their applause, no matter what Keith Olbermann says or does.

Senator Biden: "I can hardly wait to debate Rudy Giuliani on the issue of whether we're safer or not. ...Republicans have been irresponsible about our infrastructure." Maybe he's right about who will be the Republican nominee; here's guessing he's wrong about who will be the Democratic nominee.

John Edwards: "We don't want to change one group of insiders for a different group of insiders." Ouch. Direct shot at Mrs. Clinton. He also says the change that's needed in Washington, D.C., hasn't happened in the last few decades. Who was president in the 1990s again?

Mr. Edwards: He refers back to the DailyKos debate last weekend, where he asked whether the candidates would forgo lobbyist money. Mrs. Clinton admirably defended lobbyists as representing the concerns of many Americans. The crowd here, though, is with Mr. Edwards.

Mrs. Clinton: She says Nafta has hurt workers because of the way it's been implemented. A real pander here to labor, bashing her own husband's trade agreement. She's promising more prosecution of other countries for not opening their markets and to secure workers "real trade assistance."

Senator Obama: Still on Nafta. He says he would immediately call the presidents of Mexico and Canada to try to amend Nafta with labor protections. (There he goes, meeting with enemy leaders again. Also, Canada has a prime minister, not a president.)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: He gets huge applause by promising to — in his first week in office (snicker) — pull America out of Nafta and the WTO. The house almost comes down as Mr. Olbermann tries to regain some modicum of control.

Mrs. Clinton: Mr. Olbermann brings it back to Mrs. Clinton, who's been attacked a bit in the round of trade questions. She won't attack her fellow Democrats (she, you see, is above it all): "I want a united Democratic Party that will stand against the Republicans. And I will say that for 15 years I've stood up against the right-wing machine and I've come out stronger. So if you want a winner who knows how to take them on, I'm your girl." It was clearly a canned line. But the audience got out their can openers and ate it up.

Mr. Obama: On Iraq: "Look, if we had followed my judgment originally, we wouldn't have been in Iraq. We're here now, and we've got no good options. We've got bad options and worse options." We get it. You opposed the war.

Mrs. Clinton: On Mr. Obama's recent Pakistan statements, indicating that he would bomb the country in pursuit of Osama bin Laden: "You can think big, but remember: You shouldn't always say everything you think if you're running for president, because it can have consequences across the world, and we don't need that right now." Mrs. Clinton gets the biggest boo of the night with this. (P.S.: Someone call Mayor Giuliani. Mrs. Clinton got in the words "Islamic extremists," their first appearance in a Democratic debate.)

Mr. Biden: The first audience question is from a relative of a miner killed in the accident in Pennsylvania last year. Mr. Biden gets the question, ignores it, and starts talking about Pakistan.

Mr. Edwards: Bringing it home with some hard-core pandering: "Who was with you in crunch time? ... Who will stand with you when it really matters?"