Pointing to recommendations by the 9/11 Commission that have not been passed, Farrell blasted the 10-term congressman's contention that he has played a significant role in response to terrorism.

With his party in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, Farrell said that "he ought to be able to get it done while his party is in power."

Meanwhile, she said, Shays has failed to properly monitor the Iraq invasion, while sectarian violence grows worse. "This place is crying out for a third-party negotiator," Farrell said.

But Shays, chairman of a congressional subcommittee on terrorism, defended the United States' presence in Iraq and what some see as an abrupt about-face in August in which he called for a timeline to assign more responsibilities to a fledgling Iraqi democracy.

"Given what we know today, obviously we were wrong," he said of the run-up to the 2003 invasion. However, he added, "We are there and we cannot afford to lose."

Whether or not al-Qaida was there before the war, "they're there now," he said.

While Shays and Farrell debated the best U.S. approach before a standing-room-only crowd at Norwalk Community College, a third candidate professed disgust.

"I am personally sick and tired of who said what, when," said Philip Maymin, a Libertarian.

He chided Farrell for complaining that the war has put Iraqi citizens at risk, saying that was not the United States' concern. "We're in America," he said.

While Iraq took center stage in the debate, the second of 11 scheduled throughout the district, it was not the only issue tackled by the candidates.

Farrell and Shays took divergent positions on health care, with Shays defending a new prescription drug benefit for seniors as something that carries a wide range of options. But Farrell criticized it for dropping coverage for some seniors after they exhaust their initial benefits. Shays said the plan was designed to provide catastrophic coverage.

Maymin again took an unusual position, calling for the federal government to get out of regulating medical care. He said people should be able to get any type of medical care they want and that everyone would have more money if the government stopped paying for expensive benefits.

While Farrell and Shays endorsed efforts to make the nation less dependent on foreign oil, Maymin said much of the cost is because of high government taxes.

A fourth candidate, Richard Duffee of the Green Party, was not invited to participate in Thursday's debate, sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Farrell, Shays and Maymin are scheduled to appear before the World Affairs Forum at 7 p.m. Sunday at the University of Connecticut's Stamford branch.