In a tense yet mostly restrained hour of live television that exposed voters statewide to their political differences, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and U.S. Rep. Ed Case faced each other last night on PBS Hawai'i in their only debate before the Democratic primary for Senate.

The candidates used the debate to carefully frame the themes they have been campaigning on for months, but did not break much new ground. Akaka, 81, made the argument for keeping someone with his experience in the Senate, while Case, 53, said the time is ripe for leadership transition and to change the political culture in Hawai'i.

Their most striking public policy difference was over when to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, with the senator calling for soldiers to leave by July 2007 and Case urging patience until the Iraqi government and police have a fighting chance to govern and to restore order.

"I'm doing it because I feel that we must put pressure on the Iraqi government to take responsibility for its own security," Akaka said.

Case said he does not want an indefinite occupation. "We cannot simply pull out immediately, unilaterally, unconditionally and on a firm timetable," he said. "That would guarantee chaos in Iraq and the entire region, and would come back to haunt us. But that's what Sen. Akaka voted for."

Although it may take several days for the impact of the debate to be felt by the campaigns, the instant reaction last night from some political analysts was that while both men seemed prepared, Case was more detailed and effective in answering questions.

"I think as always in these debates the people who like one candidate will like the things they like, and the people who don't like a candidate will find the things they don't like," said John Hart, assistant dean at the Hawai'i Pacific University College of Communication, who gave Case the advantage on most questions. "The question more is how the people that are soft or in the middle will go."

Dan Boylan, a history professor at the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu, also believed Case handled himself better.

"It was very apparent why the Akaka people wanted only one debate and on a small-market station," Boylan said. "I thought that the senator obviously looked halting and was very dependent on his notes. As a debater, as someone standing up and taking questions, Ed Case was much better, much stronger and left a much stronger impression."

EXCHANGES FLAT

With so much on the line, the debate seemed to be strangely flat, the remarks even less biting than in the two previous times Akaka and Case appeared in front of the same audiences during the campaign. The candidates did not have an opportunity to respond to each other's comments when they shared a stage at a Hawai'i Publishers Association luncheon in August and spoke separately at the state Democratic Party convention in May.

Akaka had insisted before the debate that there be no direct questioning between himself and his opponent, but the rebuttals that were allowed last night gave both the chance to counterpunch, and these moments were among the most insightful.

Akaka, for example, contended he has made progress on advancing a Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill over the past six years and would try to bring it back before the Senate, which stopped it in a procedural vote in June. "This bill is very, very important to the people of Hawai'i and to the Native Hawaiians. It is something that this nation owes them," the senator said.

Case, who strongly supported the senator's bill, said he could not imagine living in a Hawai'i that did not protect Hawaiians but said the bill has failed.

"For now I believe this issue is best left in the Native Hawaiian community so that they can deal with the failure of the Akaka bill in the U.S. Senate and decide the way forward," the congressman said.

Akaka and Case also had an interesting exchange on the issue of age and transition, which has been an undercurrent of the campaign. Case asked people to make the transition now — before the state is forced to by circumstance — and to choose a more moderate way of governing.

"The party-first, party-only politics of Washington has gridlocked our country," Case said. "We desperately need moderate, mainstream solutions that put country first, not party.

"Sen. Akaka is part of the problem, not the solution."

Akaka did not respond directly to the issue of transition but pointed out that age — and seniority — is revered in the Senate and is one of the reasons he has gotten so much support during the campaign from his colleagues.

"When I think of those who are up in age in the United States Senate, those men are considered to be the deans, the deans of the Senate," Akaka said. "Other senators go to them for advice and they are the ones that keep the Senate stable.

"Age makes a difference."

VOTERS REACT

Voters contacted by The Advertiser, including some who said they were undecided before the debate, gave their own critiques.

"I liked the clarity of Sen. Akaka's position opposing privatization (of Social Security). Case waffled a little bit. He kept referring to Bush without giving any particulars," said Suzanne Hurley, a caregiver who lives in Kailua. "I think the senator also did real well on the energy question. I think he named specific Akaka legislative proposals that address Hawai'i's energy problems."

Guy Nishimoto, a community college instructor who lives in 'Aiea, believed Case was clearer on the issues. "I liked the way he gave the larger context to the issues," he said. "On almost every issue, he started with 'Let's look at the bigger picture.' He's so close to what I consider a conservative or Republican stance. And I get the feeling he's sincere and not just doing it to win votes. I like his stance on the Iraq war. The idea that we can pull out now, unilaterally, is just not realistic."

The dozen questions asked were chosen by AARP Hawai'i, the debate's sponsor, including some that were submitted by the public. Moderator Gerald Kato, chairman of the Univeristy of Hawai'i School of Communications, kept the candidates on track and, during the few times their answers went on too long or wandered off point, deftly brought them back.

Akaka's campaign, and even the senator himself, had sought before the debate to lower expectations, explaining to reporters that as a former schoolteacher, he was more of a storyteller than a debater.

Case, an attorney who had been asking for debates from the start of his campaign, had the reputation as a confident public speaker who would be more at home in front of the cameras.

At the PBS Hawai'i studios in Manoa afterward, neither candidate would say who they thought won but Akaka again ruled out any more debates before the Sept. 23 primary.

"I've done it," Akaka said. "I wanted to answer the call from my constituents and tonight I feel that I did it, and I want to spend the rest of the time working directly with people instead of doing it with a debate."

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.