The Democratic National Committee’s debate this afternoon in Des Moines may be minus a few faces. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman has decided not to compete in Iowa, so he won’t be on stage, but neither will Massachusetts Senator John Kerry or North Carolina Senator John Edwards. Both have decided to be in Washington, D-C in order to participate in the Senate debate on the Medicare bill. Kerry calls the bill a “cruel hoax” and he says seniors will be outraged when they find out about the details. Kerry says senior citizens will have higher costs, won’t be able to choose their own doctor and will be pushed into H-M-Os. Kerry says the bill ensures “windfall profits” for drug companies, and he says that’s “a disgrace.” Edwards says the “big drug companies and big H-M-Os stand to benefit more than seniors” and he’ll be in D-C to cast his vote to stop the bill.