GREENVILLE--Howard Dean went after Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry Thursday night in a nationally televised debate, challenging his Senate record by charging that not one of 11 bills Kerry introduced on health care had passed.

In a brief exchange, Dean said that Kerry, now at the head of the primary pack, represents the inside-Washington way of not getting things done and talked about the health care coverage plan for all children he passed as Vermont's governor.

"I don't think we're going to do that by getting someone from the U.S. Senate," Dean said.

GRACE BEAHM/STAFF Democratic presidential hopefuls (from left) John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Al Sharpton, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards stand together before the start of Thursday's Democratic presidential debate in Greenville.

Kerry responded by saying the Senate is a place where coalitions work, and it takes Washington experience that Dean doesn't have to get things done while citing his own work on family medical leave, mental health benefits and a new program of children's health care that helped youngsters in Dean's state of Vermont.

During much of the 90-minute debate, the Democratic presidential rivals turned more on George Bush than each other in what is probably their last shot at undecided voters in South Carolina. After an opening exchange where Kerry and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina battled over the Democrats' need to campaign in the South, the tone turned toward who could win in November.

Although polls show Kerry and Edwards are favorites, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is trailing far back in the pack, spoke for many of the candidates by asking South Carolina voters to extend the nominating process and not end the hunt here.

Paraphrasing a newspaper endorsement from Arizona, he told voters: "Be bold and don't just be an echo of New Hampshire. This is an opportunity to send a separate message to the nation on your own."

Edwards delivered the most memorable quip of the night when he blamed Bush for spending too much time on terrorism while ignoring other pressing needs of the country.

"The president of the United States has to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time," he said.

The 90-minute debate inside the 2,100-seat Peace Center for the Performing Arts marked the first time all the Democrats have been on the same stage in South Carolina since May. It's also the last.

The mood of their exchanges was mostly civil with the barbs and rancor from previous debates in other states missing. The night was so ho-hum that a subdued former Vermont Gov. Dean muttered off camera "this is so mellow."

That didn't stop hundreds of supporters from waving signs and flags outside the auditorium in Greenville, the traditional heart of the Republican vote in South Carolina.

Moderator Tom Brokaw started the night by making it a debate on South Carolina and putting Kerry on the spot by asking if he was in the process of "kissing off the South" until U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings "got" to him.

Kerry denied it.

"I have always said I'll compete in the South. I have always said I can win in the South," he said. "I think the person who needs to worry is George Bush."

His answer drew a strong reaction from Edwards, who said doubts about campaigning here should not have been raised by any of the campaigns in the Democratic primary.

"It's a historical mistake to ignore it," he said.

Joining Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman and Dean on stage were retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

South Carolina job losses and the effects of the NAFTA treaty that has cost the state more than 22,000 jobs in three years were a significant part of the debate. The topic put Dean on the spot, thanks to his endorsement from Al Gore, one of the architects of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Other nations of the world need to be brought up to global standards for trade to work, Dean said. "People don't leave their country because they hate their country, they leave their country because they can't make a living," he said. "We have to emphasize fair trade, not free trade."

In an answer that could cost him votes in the textile-heavy Upstate, Lieberman defended NAFTA, saying it helped lead to a net increase of 900,000 jobs during the eight years of the Clinton presidency.

"It was not a mistake," he said, adding that NAFTA has cost some jobs, but very few were going to Mexico and Canada. He blamed China. "You can't create jobs by building a wall around America," Lieberman said.

The nationally televised debate was held as polls show the South Carolina primary turning sharply in one direction as an Edwards-Kerry race.

The debate was not a breakout night for any candidate. It did give Kucinich and Sharpton, who have little chance of winning the nomination, a chance to make points with the South Carolina audience.

Kucinich said Bush misled Americans when he chose war in Iraq. He based his charge on the subsequent investigations questioning the presence of weapons of mass destruction.

"It was wrong to go in. It's wrong to stay in," he said. "(The troops) are there because of lies told to the American people."

Sharpton said the Confederate flag should not be shown publicly or privately anywhere in America.

"It represents a thought, a political philosophy on slavery, racism and rape," he said.

Sharpton rejected any notion of dropping out of the race if he doesn't win any states outright in the days ahead. "We're acting like we're on a racetrack betting on horses. There are 75,000 people in South Carolina who have lost their jobs."

Clark continued his theme of running as a Washington outsider. "We have got to change this government. We have a president who is playing politics with national security, and we need to hold him accountable. And that is what I want to do."

All the candidates criticized Bush's handling of the war on terrorism, with many saying parts of the world are now much more dangerous than before 9-11.

Clark was critical that Bush did not have more international support for the Iraqi effort. He said Bush is responsible for the intelligence miscues on Saddam Hussein's weapons, if that is the case.

"This administration did not have its priorities right. The president -- and not the intelligence community, not the previous administration -- President George W. Bush must be held accountable for that," he said.

Whether Thursday's debate will be influential in determining the winner here and in the six other states holding primaries and caucuses on Feb. 3 is unclear. There were no significant gaffes or punches that stuck. Most of the candidates are leaving South Carolina this afternoon to concentrate on Missouri and other states to the West.