Clinton, for her part, did not go gently into the good night, taking her most direct and forceful shots at Obama during the debate here just four days out from the New Hampshire primary.

Sensing vulnerability in Clinton after her third-place finish in Iowa, Obama and Edwards clearly sought to expedite her political demise throughout the debate.

Edwards in particular said that he and Obama represent change, asserting that Clinton represents the “status quo.”

“Both of us are powerful voices for change, and I might add we came in first and second in Iowa,” Edwards said of himself and Obama. He then went on to say that when he and others talk about change, “forces of the status quo attack.”

“I didn’t hear these kind of attacks from Sen. Clinton when she was ahead,” Edwards said.

Clinton, on the other hand, was hitting and hitting hard, questioning Obama’s experience and record with her sharpest and most direct criticisms yet.

From almost the opening bell, Clinton went right at what she said is Obama’s changing record from his Senate campaign to his three years in Washington, quoting an Associated Press story that said Obama “could have a pretty good debate with himself.”

She also quoted Obama, who said Edwards is unelectable because of changes in his platform from his run in 2004.

“Well you’ve changed positions within three years,” Clinton said to Obama, as she questioned his votes to reauthorize the Patriot Act and to fund the war.

Obama disputed Clinton’s quotes, and said none of the Democrats on the stage should try to “distort each other’s records as we approach Election Day in New Hampshire.”

Clinton sought repeatedly throughout the night to combine the themes of change and experience, the former having proved to be a winning argument for Obama in Iowa.

With the consistent back-and-forths between Edwards, Obama and Clinton, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the fourth person on the stage, managed some levity.

“I’ve been in hostage negotiations that were a lot more civil than this,” Richardson joked at one point.

Clinton showed a fire Thursday night that was new to her debate performances. She now finds herself in a battle with Obama and is trying to stop his momentum from Iowa as well as trying to right her own campaign after a third place finish in the caucuses.

Edwards’s was clearly trying to ensure that Clinton takes a second loss, enabling him to force a two-man race between himself and Obama.

Obama, for the most part, maintained his line of attacks on Clinton, charging that Clinton’s Washington experience means she cannot be an agent of change.

The debate was the Democrats’ first since Sens. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and Joseph Biden (Del.) withdrew from the race. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (Alaska) were excluded from the debate.