During an audience question-and-answer session in the November 15 Democratic presidential debate, Catherine Jackson, the mother of a Marine reservist who served three tours of duty in Iraq, stated that “members of the Bush administration and neoconservative members of Congress are beating the drums of war again ... and if President Bush starts another unnecessary war, there will be a chance that [my son will] likely be recalled for war.” Jackson went on to ask the candidates, “Please tell me how you are going to show us your leadership so -- on this issue now -- so I can decide now who I think would be the best leader for tomorrow.” CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux originally directed the question to Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE). But in following up on Biden's answer, in which Biden referred to a September 26 sense of the Senate amendment that urged President Bush to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer misrepresented Jackson's original question by asking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), "[I]f you could address this young man and his mother about their fear that because of your vote [in favor the amendment], he might have to go fight in Iran." In fact, neither Catherine Jackson, nor her son Christopher specifically referenced the amendment or asserted that it, or Clinton's vote for it, might cause U.S. military forces “to go fight in Iran.”

Indeed, during the exchange, Malveaux said to Christopher Jackson, "[Y]our mom is so worried that you're going to be called to duty again, but not to be deployed in Iraq but rather Iran. Do you share her concern?" After he responded, “Yes and I do and I feel that if we continue on the path we're at, that's where we're going to end up -- in Iran. And that's not what our troops need. Our troops need to come home now,” Malveaux asked Christopher's mother, Catherine, to pose a question for the candidates:

CATHERINE JACKSON: I finally got my son home after three tours of policing Iraq's civil war. Now members of the Bush administration and neoconservative members of Congress are beating the drums of war again. My son is still part of the Marine Individual Ready Reserve. And if President Bush starts another unnecessary war, there will be a chance that he'll likely be recalled for war. All of you on the stage have either -- I'm sorry -- have formal political power or significant informal power and have the ability to stop the rush to war. Please tell me how you are going to show us your leadership so -- on this issue now -- so I can decide now who I think would be the best leader for tomorrow.

Malveaux then directed the question to Biden:

BIDEN: The way to do that, ma'am, is to not ratchet up winds of war here. We had a vote in the United States Senate on declaring the Quds Force, their special forces, and the Revolutionary Guard to be a terrorist organization. A lot of people voted for that, 70-some voted for it, it is a serious, serious mistake. Because what it does, it was completely counterproductive.

What it did was, ma'am, what it did was, it convinced the rest of the Muslim world this is really a war against Islam and not a war in Iraq and number two, it rose-it caused the price of oil to head to $100 a barrel. We're paying $30 a barrel for what they call a risk premium and it helped destabilize the situation both in Iran -- I mean Afghanistan -- and Pakistan. So the way to do this is keep quiet, hush up, and do what I told the president personally when I said as chairman of Foreign Relations Committee: If he takes the country to war in Iraq [sic] without a vote in Congress, which will not exist, then he should be impeached.

But in following up on Biden's answer, Blitzer falsely asserted that Catherine and Christopher Jackson said they “fear that because of [Senator Clinton's] vote [Christopher] might have to go fight in Iran”:

BLITZER: Senator Clinton, you voted for that resolution, you're the only one on the stage who did vote for that resolution. Do you want to respond to Senator Biden?

CLINTON: I do.

BIDEN: I wasn't attacking Senator Clinton.

CLINTON: No, no, no.

BLITZER: I know, but she did vote for the resolution, if you could address this young man and his mother about their fear that because of your vote, he might have to go fight in Iran.

CLINTON: Well there is no basis for that fear. There is, however, a deep concern that is well justified about this president. That's why what I've tried to do is oppose a rush to war, I started speaking out against it back in February because I was worried about President Bush, working with members of Congress to do exactly what Joe is saying, which is to make it absolutely clear, there is no legal authority whatsoever.

From the November 15 Democratic presidential debate:

MALVEAUX: Catherine, I understand that you are quite concerned about your son Christopher. You have served three tours of duty in Iraq and you're -- [applause] -- that's for you, Christopher. Your mother, I spoke with her, your mom is so worried that you're going to be called to duty again, but not to be deployed in Iraq but rather Iran. Do you share her concern?

CHRISTOPHER JACKSON: Yes and I do, and I feel that if we continue on the path we're at, that's where we're going to end up -- in Iran. And that's not what our troops need. Our troops need to come home now.

MALVEAUX: Catherine, your question.

CATHERINE JACKSON: I finally got my son home after three tours of policing Iraq's civil war. Now members of the Bush administration and neoconservative members of Congress are beating the drums of war again. My son is still part of the Marine Individual Ready Reserve. And if President Bush starts another unnecessary war, there will be a chance that he'll likely be recalled for war. All of you on the stage have either -- I'm sorry -- have formal political power or significant informal power and have the ability to stop the rush to war. Please tell me how you are going to show us your leadership so -- on this issue now -- so I can decide now who I think would be the best leader for tomorrow.

MALVEAUX: To Senator Biden, please.

BIDEN: The way to do that, ma'am, is to not ratchet up winds of war here. We had a vote in the United States Senate on declaring the Quds Force, their special forces, and the Revolutionary Guard to be a terrorist organization. A lot of people voted for that, 70-some voted for it, it is a serious, serious mistake. Because what it does, it was completely counterproductive.

What it did was, ma'am, what it did was, it convinced the rest of the Muslim world this is really a war against Islam and not a war in Iraq and number two, it rose-it caused the price of oil to head to $100 a barrel. We're paying $30 a barrel for what they call a risk premium and it helped destabilize the situation both in Iran -- I mean Afghanistan -- and Pakistan. So the way to do this is keep quiet, hush up, and do what I told the president personally when I said as chairman of Foreign Relations Committee: If he takes the country to war in Iraq [sic] without a vote in Congress, which will not exist, then he should be impeached.

BLITZER: Senator Clinton, you voted for that resolution, you're the only one on the stage who did vote for that resolution. Do you want to respond to Senator Biden?

CLINTON: I do.

BIDEN: I wasn't attacking Senator Clinton.

CLINTON: No, no, no.

BLITZER: I know, but she did vote for the resolution, if you could address this young man and his mother about their fear that because of your vote, he might have to go fight in Iran.

CLINTON: Well there is no basis for that fear. There is, however, a deep concern that is well justified about this president. That's why what I've tried to do is oppose a rush to war, I started speaking out against it back in February because I was worried about President Bush, working with members of Congress to do exactly what Joe is saying, which is to make it absolutely clear, there is no legal authority whatsoever.