Coral Gables, Fla. ? President Bush and Sen. John Kerry on Thursday night presented sharply conflicting views of the invasion of Iraq and its chaotic aftermath, with Kerry accusing Bush of making a “colossal error in judgment” and Bush declaring that his firm, resolved leadership was critical to protecting America’s security.

In the first debate of the fall campaign, the rivals clashed over how to best prosecute the war on terrorism even as they agreed that nuclear weapons were a critical looming threat. Kerry said the president failed to capture Osama bin Laden because of a misguided pursuit of Saddam Hussein, while Bush reminded Kerry that he voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq but had expressed differing views since then.

“I made a mistake in how I talked about the war,” Kerry said. “But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?”

The president repeatedly suggested the Massachusetts senator was ill prepared to be the commander in chief.

“He changes positions, and you cannot change positions in this war on terror, if you expect to win. And I expect to win,” Bush said.

Two-thirds of the 90-minute debate was devoted to Iraq. It is the first of three prime-time televised forums over the next two weeks in which Bush and Kerry will meet for a face-to-face encounter.

After months of sparring long-distance, the two candidates strode onto a red-carpeted stage in an auditorium at the University of Miami and shook hands. As Kerry extended his other hand, patting Bush on the arm, the two traded a moment of small talk before assuming their position behind wooden podiums.

Both men wore American flag pins on their left lapels.

Head-to-head measure

The debate provided the first opportunity for tens of millions of Americans to measure the candidates beyond rapid-fire television ads or sound bites on the network news.

Four years ago, the first debate of the general election campaign drew 47 million viewers, but campaign officials predicted the forum Thursday evening would attract an even wider audience. The encounter, which came 33 days before the election, was the most watched event to date in the campaign.

When moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS asked Kerry to expound on his statement that the president had made a “colossal error in judgment” regarding Iraq, Kerry smiled and replied: “Well, where do you want me to begin?”

For his part, again and again, Bush came back to Kerry’s record in the U.S. Senate as well as statements he made during the Democratic primary campaign when he said the world was safer without Hussein.

“The only thing consistent about my opponent’s positions is that he’s been inconsistent,” Bush said. “It’s necessary that we win. We’re being challenged like never before.”

Area of agreement

While the two seemed to find little consensus on Iraq — how America went to war and where to go from here — Bush and Kerry found one area of common agreement when the moderator asked Kerry what he considers to be the nation’s single most serious threat.

“Nuclear proliferation,” Kerry replied. “There’s some 600-plus tons of unsecured material still in the former Soviet Union and Russia. At the rate that the president is currently securing it, it’ll take 13 years to get it. … Now, there are terrorists trying to get their hands on that stuff today.”

“I agree with my opponent that the biggest threat facing this country is weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist network,” said Bush, outlining efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons — expressing a foremost concern that terrorists don’t get them. “And we’ve been effective.”

As the president spoke about North Korea, he referred to notes that rested on his podium. Kerry wore a wide smile as he waited for his turn to point out that the two candidates had entirely different views on what to do about the emerging threat.

“But again,” Kerry said, “the test or the difference between us, the president has had four years to try to do something about it, and North Korea has got more weapons; Iran is moving toward weapons.”

Iraq in focus

In a debate designed to focus on foreign policy, the lion’s share of the discussion centered on Iraq. It wasn’t until the first hour of the debate concluded that other global issues, including atrocities in Africa, were discussed.

The first debate was held in Florida, where the 2000 presidential election ended in dispute, because it remains one of the most critical battlegrounds. But it was unclear how many voters were watching in the state, considering more than 435,000 customers remained without power from a devastating four hurricanes in a six week period.

Outside the University of Miami campus, hundreds of people protested against the war in Iraq, some carrying flag-draped coffins.

Kerry, aggressive in tone from the starting minutes of the debate, gestured with his hands, making slicing and issue-framing motions. Bush, who started in a relaxed manner, largely kept his hands behind his lectern.

As the debate intensified, Bush also showed signs of nervousness, at one point misspeaking, saying: “Of course we’re after Saddam Hussein … Osama bin Laden.”

Bush evaded an opportunity to echo something that Vice President Dick Cheney has stated on the campaign trail: The warning that electing Kerry could make the United States more vulnerable to another terrorist attack. When moderator Lehrer asked the president if that would happen if Kerry was elected, Bush demurred.

“I don’t believe that’s going to happen. I believe I’m going to win, because I know how to lead,” Bush replied. “I made some tough decisions. But people know where I stand. People know what I believe.”

Breaking the rule

In the television broadcast of the debate, split-screen images showed that Bush often wore an irked expression as his rival spoke. The campaigns had brokered strict rules on camera angles, but television networks argued that they would show the event as it transpired.

At one point, the moderator asked the president if “the Iraq experience” makes it less likely or more likely that he would commit troops again to another pre-emptive attack.

“I would hope I never have to,” Bush said. “I understand how hard it is to commit troops. When we had a debate in 2000, I never dreamt I’d be doing that, but the enemy attacked us.”

“He just said the enemy attacked us,” Kerry countered. “Saddam Hussein didn’t attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us.”

“Of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us,” Bush said. “I know that.”

Kerry, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War who returned home and became a leading protester of the conflict, brought his combat experience to bear in a testy debate with Bush over the invasion of Iraq. Bush’s father had decided against pressing the first Gulf War into Baghdad, Kerry said, because he knew there would be no exit strategy. This president, Kerry said, has created a dangerous occupation.

“I know what it’s like to go out on one of those missions when you don’t know what’s around the corner,” said Kerry, framing the message he offers for American troops: “Help is on the way.”

“That’s what I learned from Vietnam,” Kerry, commander of a Navy swift boat, later said: “That’s what I did with that boat, and I’m going to lead those troops to victory.”

“My opponent says help is on the way,” Bush replied. “This is not a message a commander in chief gives.”

Bush chastised Kerry for voting for the invasion and then voting against an $87 billion bill for military and reconstruction spending in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president also faulted Kerry for stating at one point that first he voted for the $87 billion and then against it.

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