Clinton and Obama call a truce in racial debate

The two Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who took part in a debate on Tuesday night, recognized that nothing good could have come out of the fight continuing.

The Clintons risked appearing racially insensitive, and damaging their legacy as champions of civil rights.

Obama risked being defined simply by his race and destroying his brand as a candidate who can unite America.

And they both risked creating lasting divisions with one of the Democratic Party's most important constituencies, the black community that was already taking sides in the fight.

Democratic consultant Donna Brazile said the recent back-and-forth which featured arguing over the role of Dr Martin Luther King and references to Obama's youthful drug use, was starting to drown out what the candidates really wanted to say in the campaign.

"It became clear the candidates were having a hard time getting their message across," she said.

Senators Obama and Clinton came together in yesterday's debate to blame the whole thing on others.

"We both have exuberance and sometimes uncontrollable supporters," Clinton said.

"I think that, as Hillary said, our supporters, our staff get overzealous," Obama said.

Obama had previously said that Clinton's allegation that his campaign had fanned the story's flames was "ludicrous," but in the debate he said he regretted that his staff had pushed the story. - DDNEWS