Questions about Hillary Clinton’s allegations about facing sniper fire in Bosnia and Barack Obama’s relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright loomed large at the Democratic presidential debate in Philadelphia Wednesday.

Both candidates sought to tamp down the importance of these issues that have raised questions about their credibility.

“For us to be obsessed with these kinds of errors is mistaken,” Obama said.

The debate was held at the National Constitution Center, less than a week before the Pennsylvania primary. The last Democratic debate was held on February 26 in Cleveland, Ohio. Since then, both campaigns have encountered stumbling blocks. Obama’s relationship with his longtime friend and former pastor Rev. Wright was called into question after news outlets discovered video footage of the Reverend making anti-American and racist statements.

Obama discussed his relationship with Wright in a highly-publicized speech on race last month, which he referred to in his remarks at the debate.

Obama was asked why he chose to rescind an invitation to Wright to speak at the event where Obama announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination and chose to remain a member of his church.

ABC News’ debate moderator Charles Gibson questioned, “If you knew he got rough in sermons, why did it take you more than a year to publicly dissociate yourself from his remarks?”

Obama said he rescinded the speaking invitation based on things Wright said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine and he was not aware of the racist and anti-American rants that were later carried by news networks.

“There is anger in the African American community that sometimes gets expressed, whether in the barbershop or the church,’ Obama said. “That’s not just in the African American community. That’s true in other communities as well. But what we have the opportunity to do is move beyond it. And that’s what I think my candidacy represents.”

Clinton was made accountable for one of her gaffes at the debate as well.

Weeks ago Clinton admitted she made “misspoke” while recounting a trip she took to Bosnia as First Lady in which she alleged she encountered sniper fire. Her former president husband Bill Clinton recently defended her story saying his wife was “exhausted” when she told the story, although she told it on multiple occasions. Continued...