Dems Fret Over School Ruling

The Supreme Court decision limiting the role of race in public-school assignments was the talk of the town yesterday—even at the Democratic debate. The agenda at historically black Howard University was minority issues, and although attention naturally fell on Barack Obama, his seven competitors also had their moments in the spotlight, the Washington Post reports.

In their third debate, the Democrats also took up issues such as poverty and AIDS, seized on a question about Hurricane Katrina, and fended off barbs from fellow candidate Mike Gravel. The liveliest discourse concerned the Supreme Court ruling and what it indicates about the Bush administration. Said Joe Biden: "They have turned the court upside down." (More Democrats stories.)