Democratic presidential hopefuls gather on the stage prior to the first Democratic presidential primary debate of the 2008 election hosted Thursday by South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC. From left are Mike Gravel, former U.S. senator from Alaska, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Ct., former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina., Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

Orangeburg, S.C. ? Democratic presidential hopefuls flashed their anti-war credentials Thursday night, heaping criticism on President Bush’s Iraq policy in the first debate of the 2008 campaign.

“The first day I would get us out of Iraq by diplomacy,” said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of eight rivals on the debate stage.

“If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will,” pledged Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

But Clinton found herself on the receiving end of criticism moments later when former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said she or anyone else who voted to authorize the war should “search their conscience.”

Edwards, in the Senate at the time, also cast his vote for the invasion, but he has since apologized for it.

Of the eight foes participating in the debate at South Carolina State University, four voted earlier in the day to support legislation that cleared Congress and requires the beginning of a troop withdrawal by Oct. 1. The legislation sets a goal of a complete withdrawal by April 1, 2008.

“We are one signature away from ending this war,” said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. He said if Bush won’t change his mind about vetoing the bill, Democrats need to work on rounding up enough Republican votes to override him.

In addition to Obama and Clinton, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut cast votes in favor of the legislation.

Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio also participated in the debate, lesser-funded contenders who seemed most eager to challenge their rivals.

Bush is barred by the Constitution from running for re-election next fall, and the result is an extraordinarily early start to the campaign to succeed him.

Five of the eight – Gravel, Biden, Dodd, Kucinich and Richardson – raised their hands when moderator Brian Williams of NBC News asked whether they had ever had a gun in their home.

Asked about a recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld a ban on so-called partial birth abortions, several of the contenders replied they would not impose a litmus test on their own nominees to the high court. At the same time, they stressed their support for abortion rights.