IVINS -- Sharing the stage with U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch for the first time, Democratic challenger Pete Ashdown said Congress is not accountable to the American people, pointing to the page scandal as proof that lawmakers can't manage their own house.

"Why is this Congress so interested in monitoring the American people, even to the extent of violating the Bill of Rights, and they can't even monitor themselvesfi" Ashdown declared.

Hatch, R-Utah, and Ashdown met at a high school near St. George for the first of five debates before the Nov. 7 election.

The topics were suggested by readers of The Spectrum newspaper: the war in Iraq, Medicaid and Medicare, North Korea's nuclear capabilities, growth in Washington County, and protecting children from predators.

Hatch, 72, has been in the Senate for 30 years and is seeking a sixth six-year term. Ashdown is a 39-year-old Internet entrepreneur from Salt Lake City.

In his opening remarks, Hatch focused on his experience and emphasized issues tied to southern Utah, such as a new airport, flood assistance and radiation-exposure compensation.

"If I'm fortunate enough to be re-elected, then I will become chairman of the Finance Committee in a few short years," he said, referring to the panel that sets tax policy. "Now that's the most powerful committee in the Senate -- some say the most powerful committee in the whole Congress."

The candidates had sharp difference on the Iraq war.

"This particular war is unlike any war that we've faced before," Hatch said. "These people don't wear uniforms. They don't represent a country. And they want to kill civilians. ... If we don't win in Iraq, we're going to have problems with terrorism the rest of our lives."

Ashdown called for a referendum in Iraq to determine the presence of U.S. troops.

"The people who have to deal with this on a daily basis are the Iraqi people, and they should take the reins and be responsible for their future," he said.

The candidates also diverged on legislation that allows development of some government-owned land in fast-growing Washington County.

"You bet I support it, and I'm going to do everything in my power to ... get it through" Congress, Hatch said.

Ashdown opposes the bill, saying it was crafted without appropriate public input.

At another point in the debate, Ashdown criticized Congress, which is dealing with the fallout from the resignation of a Florida lawmaker who quit because of inappropriate contacts with pages.

Hatch denounced former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley and said he has worked to prevent the victimization of children.

"I'm right in the middle of that battle all the time," he said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.