The fight against global terrorism will take center stage Saturday night when Democrats gather in Iowa to debate after the
gruesome attacks in Paris that laid bare the kinds of threats the next American president will face.
A month after the Democratic presidential candidates clashed on gun control and
financial regulations
in their first debate, which focused largely on domestic and economic
issues, they are expected to face more questions on foreign policy and
national security. Hours after the deadly attacks, CBS News, a co-host
of the event, said it would
refocus the debate to give candidates an opportunity to discuss how they would respond to such an international crisis.
Despite the tragic nature of the events, the new backdrop represents an opportunity for
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former secretary of state, to shine at a moment when her two remaining rivals, Senator
Bernie Sanders
of Vermont and Martin O’Malley — neither of whom has much foreign
policy experience — will be under pressure to blunt her momentum.
