(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-16 15:07

LAS VEGAS - Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton fired back at her rivals and accused John Edwards of "throwing mud" on Thursday in a contentious debate marked by sharp clashes with Barack Obama and Edwards.

US Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), left, and US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) sit onstage during the CNN/Nevada Democratic Party debate at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) in Las Vegas, Nevada November 15, 2007. [Agencies]

Clinton, who leads Democrats in national polls, went on the offensive early and delivered a strong performance in the first face-to-face encounter with her rivals since an October 30 debate where her candor and credibility came under fierce attack.

"When somebody starts throwing mud at least we can hope it's accurate and not right out of the Republican playbook," Clinton said after Edwards questioned whether she could restore trust in the White House.

The debate featured harsh exchanges over Social Security, trade and foreign policy, with the tone reflecting the high stakes seven weeks before Iowa opens the state-by-state battle in each party to pick nominees for the November 2008 election.

Clinton was in the spotlight after a faltering performance in the last debate, when her campaign accused her rivals of "piling on" her. But Clinton's opponents did not back away, taking aim at her again.

"She says she will bring change to Washington, while she continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged and is corrupt," Edwards said.

Obama pointed again to her difficulty explaining whether she supported driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. She said on Wednesday she opposed the idea.

"What the American people are looking for right now is straight answers to tough questions, and that is not what we've seen out of Senator Clinton on a host of issues," Obama said.

Obama also likened her to two top Republican presidential candidates for characterizing his plan to raise the income limits on Social Security taxes as a tax increase on the middle class.

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