http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3491868.stmIt was a crucial debate for presidential candidate John Edwards ahead of next week's key round of 10 contests across the US. He needed to distinguish himself from frontrunner John Kerry and land a few political punches before Super Tuesday.
But pundits agreed that he made little headway at the Los Angeles debate, in what is an uphill battle, with Mr Kerry enjoying sizeable leads in the key Super Tuesday states of California, New York and Ohio.
Mr Edwards' campaign has been a model of civility, which helped him surge in Iowa where voters tired of the mudslinging between Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean, both of whom have now dropped out of the race. But it has hurt him as John Kerry has gained momentum. He has been unable to vigorously challenge his fellow senator without losing his good guy image.
Moderators were keen to draw out differences and possibly provoke the two lead candidates to attack one another. Distinctions did appear.