Now We Know Who Inhaled

During the latest Democratic presidential debate, the candidates were asked whether they had ever used marijuana. For those keeping score at home, here's how they responded:

Howard Dean: "Yes."
Wesley Clark: "Never used it."
John Kerry: "Yes."
John Edwards: "Yes."
Joe Lieberman: "I have a reputation for giving unpopular answers in Democratic debates. I never used marijuana, sorry."
Al Sharpton: "I grew up in the church. We didn't believe in that."
Dennis Kucinich: "No, but I think it ought to be decriminalized."
Carol Moseley Braun: "I'm not going to answer."

Dick Gephardt did not attend the debate, so he wasn't put on the spot. However, as New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd once recalled, when he was running for president in 1988, "an earnest Richard Gephardt bounded up to the press in Des Moines to announce that he had done absolutely no drugs whatsoever — ever. After a moment of bemused silence, one reporter piped up sardonically, 'Why not?'"

Partying With the Dems
As they faced off in front of the audience of young voters at CNN's "Rock the Vote" forum, the candidates were also asked this pressing question: Which of your fellow candidates would you most like to party with?

"You know, who do you think can shake their groove thing?" asked a member of the audience. "If you get sick, who's going to hold your hair back? ... If you see a cutie across the room, who's going to be your wing man?"

Lieberman: "I hope my wife understands this. I'd like to party with the young lady who asked that question."

Sharpton: "Probably the best person I've met to campaign, to party with — Mrs. Kerry. I'm sorry."

Kerry: "I was going to choose Carol Moseley Braun, but now I'm going to have to choose you so I can keep an eye on my wife."
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