Dodd, Richardson to Skip Fox Debate

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidates Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd will not participate in a Democratic debate co-sponsored by Fox News Channel this fall, joining their three top rivals in bypassing the event.

Their decisions, acknowledged by campaign aides Wednesday, is sure to disappoint the Congressional Black Caucus, whose political education and leadership institute is Fox's partner in the debate.

But Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, and Dodd, a senator from Connecticut, have been under pressure to shun the debate from liberal groups who say Fox is biased against Democrats.

The debate exodus began two months ago when John Edwards became the first candidate to announce that he would not attend the Sept. 23 debate in Detroit. A week later, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama announced they also would not participate.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, have said they intend to be at the debate.

Several campaigns have agonized over the decision, especially because of the participation of the Congressional Black Caucus, the group that comprises Congress' black lawmakers, including Obama.

But Colorofchange.org, an organization of black online activists, and the liberal MoveOn.org have agitated against Fox with an Internet campaign that includes video excerpts of conservative Fox commentators. MoveOn this week initiated an e-mail campaign urging backers to call Biden's campaign to demand he back out of the debate.

"The Congressional Black Caucus represents an important base within the Democratic Party," Biden campaign manager Luis Navarro said. "We think Democratic candidates ought to be willing to respect that."

The caucus is co-sponsoring another Democratic debate with CNN in January. No one has indicated they will miss that one.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times and the Center on Politics and Foreign Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies have been trying to secure commitments from Democratic candidates to participate in a debate next week devoted exclusively to Iraq. Biden, who has been demanding a war-only debate, is the only one so far to say he will attend.

Robert Guttman, the director of the center at Johns Hopkins said other campaigns have indicated interest and said some cable news organizations and public television have said they would cover the debate. It is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday's at Johns Hopkins' Kenney Auditorium.

Guttman said he planned to place chairs on the stage for the candidates, whether they attended or not.

"We're ready to roll, with full seats or empty seats," Guttman said.

___

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Wednesday repeated his call to add more troops, saying the Iraq war had left the nation's military seriously stressed.

The former governor of Massachusetts said he supported President Bush's decision to intervene in Iraq, but conceded that the effort has had plenty of missteps.

"I think we've made a number of mistakes," said Romney, opening a two-day campaign trip to Iowa by speaking to a business group. "We were underprepared for what developed. I don't think we had anywhere near enough troops."

Romney said he supports adding at least 100,000 troops to the military.

The idea of pulling American troops out of Iraq is "very tempting," Romney said, but doing so would lead to a larger conflict in the region.

Romney said he was willing to give the president's plan of increasing troops in Iraq time to work, potentially as long as the end of the year.

"If it's working we'll all celebrate that," said Romney.

Romney was also asked about his effort as governor to broaden health coverage. He said the Massachusetts plan could serve as a model for the nation, but as president he would be reluctant to impose solutions on the states.

"My inclination would be to let the states try their own plans," said Romney. "We're going to give them flexibility."

___

Associated Press Writer Mike Glover contributed to this report from Des Moines, Iowa.