The frontrunners in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race stepped out from their campaign commercials for the first time since the State Fair to debate the issues. DFL Sen. Paul Wellstone and Republican challenger Norm Coleman appeared on Twin Cities Public Television, fiercely challenging one in other in areas from national defense to campaign advertising.

	The latest Senate debate marked a noticeable increase in tension between Coleman and Wellstone. The two are scheduled to square off again on Tuesday in Moorhead. (MPR Photo/Mark Zdechlik)

The issue of war with Iraq dominated the hour-long debate, encompassing exchanges between Wellstone and Coleman on the newly-passed use-of-force resolution the Bush administration wanted, and on Wellstone's military spending record.

Wellstone defended his vote against the resolution, saying his support four years ago to allow the Clinton administration to take action against Iraq was a vote cast under considerably different circumstances.

"This resolution was open-ended for a pre-emptive strike, including ground war. That's the big difference -- huge difference," Wellstone said.

Wellstone underscored his position that the U.S. should not go it alone against Iraq, and should work with a coalition of the world's governments.

Coleman, too, spoke of the importance of the U.S. working with other governments, but criticized Wellstone for not backing the president.

	TPT says it excluded the Independence and Green Party candidates because neither has registered five percent or more in an poll. (MPR Photo/Mark Zdechlik)

"I firmly believe that the best way to build a broad international coalition is to do what a broad bipartisan majority did. And the senator believes that the best path to do that, I presume, is for us to step back and wait for the United Nations to act first. I think that's bad judgment," Coleman said.

"First of all, if you read the headlines in the papers and read the resolution, the resolution gives the president the authorization to go at it alone," Wellstone said.

From there Wellstone and Coleman repeatedly interrupted each other, fiercely contesting everything the other one was saying.

The two watched and responded to two television ads running on their behalf by the state DFL and GOP.

Here's Coleman on the DFL claim that Coleman supported $25 billion in tax cuts for corporations, including Enron, as part of the economic stimulus package Wellstone voted against.

"I supported the economic stimulus package, Senator, OK? That doesn't mean I support every piece in there. You're there. You're in the well. You're on the floor. OK? You had the opportunity to respond and, by the way, if you could get stuff out, if you had the ability, you would," Coleman said.

"But see, my good friend, Norm, here's the problem he's having. This was the economic stimulus package that - about a year ago - you called on me to support," Wellstone said.

	Sen. Wellstone brought Independence Party candidate Jim Moore to the studio, but the station denied his participation in the debate.

Up next, a GOP ad that attacks Wellstone for voting for Hawaiian seaweed funding, but voting against defense spending.

"The seaweed was part of a veterans' health care bill. Do you want to know how many senators voted for that bill? Ninety-nine, Norm. You want to know who one of them was? Bill Frist, who's chair of the Republican Senate campaign committee that runs the ad against me for voting for veterans' health care," said Wellstone.

"If I had control of that ad, I wouldn't have that in there," Coleman said. "Again, we don't control that. I told our folks I don't like those analogies. However, Senator, the truth about your defense record is accurate. You voted against 16 of 17 defense authorization appropriations from the time you were in the United States Senate up to 9/11."

Wellstone and Coleman also sparred over Social Security and prescription drug coverage for seniors.

And in a so-called "tape you don't want to see segment," Wellstone watched old video of himself fresh from victory in 1990, saying he would not stay in the Senate for more than two terms.

Coleman got to see himself calling for Wellstone's re-election in 1996 at the state DFL convention, several months before Coleman left the DFL to become a Republican.

The debate ended with Wellstone predicting Minnesotans will decide the election based on whom they trust. Coleman predicted it'll come down to the candidate voters think will be able to get the most done in Washington.

The latest Senate debate marked a noticeable increase in tension between Coleman and Wellstone. The two are scheduled to square off again on Tuesday in Moorhead.

Beyond that, there are four more debates planned for the balance of October and each of them will include all four major party candidates.

Jim Moore. Independence Party candidate, protested outside the TPT debate. Wellstone brought Moore inside, and unsuccessfully appealed to the station to allow all four major party candidates to debate.

TPT says it excluded the Independence and Green Party candidates because neither has registered five percent or more in an poll.