[00:01.08]The ten Republican presidential candidates
[00:04.32]who received the highest levels of support
[00:07.80]in public opinion surveys
[00:10.44]debated Thursday night in Cleveland, Ohio.
[00:15.28]The event marked the launch of the 2016 presidential campaign.
[00:21.32]Billionaire businessman Donald Trump
[00:25.36]received a lot of attention during the debate,
[00:29.00]which was shown on the FOX News Channel.
[00:33.24]He was the only candidate
[00:35.96]who would not promise to support whoever wins
[00:39.48]the Republican party's presidential nomination.
[00:43.28]He also refused to say
[00:46.44]he would not campaign for the presidency
[00:49.60]as an independent if he did not win the party's nomination.
[00:56.04]Mr. Trump was asked about controversial statements he has made in the past.
[01:02.56]He refused to apologize
[01:06.12]when he was questioned about his past insults of women.
[01:11.40]He also did not apologize
[01:14.12]for his statements about illegal immigrants from Mexico.
[01:19.36]He has said some of them are "criminals" and "rapists."
[01:24.60]Senators Marco Rubio of Florida  and Ted Cruz of Texas
[01:30.64]were among candidates who said they support better control of the border with Mexico.
[01:38.76]Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
[01:41.36]criticized the way Mr. Trump talks about the issue.
[01:46.20]Several of the candidates strongly criticized the agreement reached
[01:52.48]between Western powers and Iran
[01:56.40]to limit that country's nuclear activities.
[02:00.76]They also criticized the Obama administration's efforts
[02:05.88]to stop the Islamic State group.
[02:10.28]Senator Rand Paul and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie argued during the debate
[02:18.12]about how to protect Americans while respecting their rights.
[02:24.76]At one point, Governor Christie called Senator Paul's ideas about security policy "completely ridiculous."
[02:34.72]The argument between the two men
[02:38.16]showed the tension within the Republican Party.
[02:41.96]One side wants stronger national security policies
[02:48.24]while the other is concerned about the federal government's power.
[02:53.72]Mr. Bush is considered the choice of many Republicans.
[02:59.44]He said he knows he must work to be seen as
[03:02.92]different from his brother and father,
[03:06.00]both of whom are former presidents.
[03:09.84]He said the invasion of Iraq by American forces,
[03:14.20]which was ordered by President George W. Bush, was a mistake.
[03:19.80]But he blamed President Obama for leaving Iraq too early.
[03:26.44]He says this led to the creation of the Islamic State, or ISIS.
[03:32.72]Before the debate on Thursday night,
[03:36.12]seven Republican presidential candidates
[03:39.56]who have lower support in public opinion surveys gathered.
[03:44.68]Many of them strongly criticized Hillary Clinton.
[03:49.44]Many experts believe Ms. Clinton
[03:52.16]will be the Democratic party's nominee for president.
[03:57.00]At least eight more Republican debates are planned.
[04:01.76]The Democratic party plans six debates,
[04:05.20]beginning in October. I'm Christopher Jones-Cruise.