The Latest: Democratic 2016 candidates meet for 2nd debate

DES MOINES — The Democratic presidential candidates are debating for the second time in the 2016 nomination contest, this time in Des Moines.

The latest developments (all times local):

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8:32 p.m.

The Republican candidates for president are jumping on the refusal of the Democratic candidates to say the words "radical Islam" at their debate.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tweets, "Yes, we are at war with radical Islamic terrorism."

Rick Santorum adds on Twitter, "@HillaryClinton how can we defeat our enemy if we cannot identify who they are and what motivates them?"

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8:30 p.m.

All three Democratic presidential candidates are declining to use the term "radical Islam" at the party's second debate, a description used by many of their Republican rivals.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says, "I don't think we are at war with Islam. ... I think we're at war with jihadists."

She adds that "it's not particularly helpful" to use language that alienates many Muslims, and she notes that Republican President George W. Bush made a similar point after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says, "I don't think the term is important." He says the more important issue is the "entire world coming together" to defeat militants.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley says using the term "radical Islam" is unnecessarily offensive to Muslims in America. He says he prefers "radical jihadists" and describes them as a group that is "perverting the name of a major world religion."

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8:25 p.m.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says countries in the Middle East must get more involved in the fight against the Islamic State.

During a foreign policy discussion during the second Democratic debate, Sanders calls the current conflict a "war for the soul of Islam."

He says that other Muslim countries in the region will need to get "deeply involved" and lead the effort. He mentions Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Jordan by name.

Hillary Rodham Clinton calls the comment "unfair" to some counties, in particular Jordan. She says Jordan has "put a lot on the line" for the United States.

But Clinton says she agrees that Turkey and the Gulf nations should decide if they will stand with the United States against "this kind of jihadi radicalism."

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8:20 p.m.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley says simply toppling dictators is not a suitable foreign policy for the 21st century, referring to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

O'Malley is attempting to draw a contrast with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on foreign policy during the second Democratic debate.

He says Syria, Libya and Afghanistan are "a mess" and that the United States isn't doing enough to build stable democracies after toppling dictators.

He says the United States needs better "human intelligence" on the ground to understand what actors will step up to fill the void after dictators fall.

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8:17 p.m.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is criticizing former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's vote as a New York senator for the resolution to allow the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Sanders says, "I don't think any sensible person" would have supported the use-of-force resolution.

He calls the invasion "the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of the United States."

Clinton has said the 2002 vote was a mistake, but says there were acts leading up to the invasion that suggested Islamic extremists had struck at US installations.

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8:15 p.m.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is defending the Obama administration's initial approach to the rise of Islamic State, including her actions as secretary of state.

Clinton rejects the notion that she underestimated the militants, and she blames their rise on leaders in the Middle East and names former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Clinton says al-Maliki did not do enough to maintain stability in Iraq once the US turned over control of the nation.

She adds that she did advocate that the US do more to "train and equip moderates" in Syria, which has since fallen into civil war.

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8:10 p.m.

A look at the opening statements from the second presidential Democratic debate.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders begins with sharp language for the Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for the attack in Paris.

He says, "Together, leading the world, this country will rid our planet of this barbarous organization."

But Sanders also pivots from the attacks to the economic issues that are the focus of his campaign.

Front-runner and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton keeps to the attacks in her statement, saying "our prayers are with the people of France tonight."

She adds: "But that is not enough. We need to have a resolve that will bring the world together to root out the kind of radical, Jihadist ideology that motivates organizations ISIS."

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley touts his executive experience in his opening remarks, and says the US needs "new thinking" and "new leadership" to respond to threats like those posed by the Islamic State.

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8 p.m.

The second debate of the Democratic campaign for president is underway, and it's starting with a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks in Paris.

A coordinated gun-and-suicide bombing attack tore across Paris on Friday, leaving at least 129 people dead and 352 injured. It marked the deadliest violence on French soil since World War II.

French President Francois Hollande has vowed that his country will wage "merciless" war on the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the carnage.

The candidates will each make an opening statement before the debate's first section focuses on the attacks and foreign policy.

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7:45 p.m.

The Democratic candidates for president are gathering for the party's second debate of the 2016 campaign, a meeting that will take place in the shadow of the attacks in Paris.

The campaigns have tangled with debate host CBS over the format of the debate in the hours before the debate.

When CBS said on a conference call with the campaigns that it wanted to focus the opening statement and the first section of the debate on the Paris attacks, the campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders vigorously disagreed.

That's according to a participant on the call, who spoke on condition of anonymity and was not authorized to speak publicly.

Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver says the key issue is a proposal to shorten the opening statements from 90 seconds to 30 seconds in order to move quickly to questions in a debate unfolding a day after the Paris attacks.

The Vermont senator's campaign says it successfully argued on behalf of the longer opening statements, which all three candidates will deliver.

The debate will begin with a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the attacks.

— By Ken Thomas.