ATLANTA - U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., and Republican Calder Clay compressed an entire campaign's worth of sniping into a debate that lasted little less than a half-hour Sunday night.

During the debate broadcast on Georgia Public Television, Clay repeated the accusation that Marshall, the first-term incumbent congressman from the 3rd District, missed key votes in Congress and doesn't reflect the values of a majority of Middle Georgians.

The former Bibb County commissioner also asked Marshall who he was supporting for president - George Bush or John Kerry - but Marshall declined to answer.

Marshall countered that during his first two years in office, he developed key relationships with Pentagon officials ahead of the upcoming round of BRAC, the federal government's process for closing and realigning military bases.

Marshall also touted his endorsement by veterans groups and the $1,000 donation he received from U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga.

Much of the debate centered on Clay's accusation that Marshall missed a key vote related to legislation to reduce frivolous lawsuits.

Clay said Marshall skipped the vote because of the campaign donations he's received from the legal profession. He previously had said Marshall was AWOL - the military term for absent without leave - because he missed that vote.

Sunday night, Clay said that he did not regret using the "AWOL" term.

But Marshall said he was giving a speech to the nonprofit Air Force Association and was forging relationships with people who will have an effect on the decision whether to close Robins Air Force Base.

"I'm a dues-paying member of the Air Force Association," Clay said. "I find it difficult to understand why you would choose to miss that vote. I know you're supported by trial lawyers."

Marshall defended his absence, saying he was asked by the Pentagon to give the speech.

"It was a conscious decision to miss a vote that was going to be passed by a very wide margin," Marshall said. "I missed another vote when I was in discussions with (Defense Secretary) Donald Rumsfeld and another vote at the request of (National Security Adviser) Condoleezza Rice. I think my district is much more interested in my developing a great relationship with the Air Force Association."

The two candidates also disagreed on whether Marshall had fulfilled a campaign pledge to help rural hospitals.

Marshall said he had made good on that promise, because he'd persuaded federal officials to give rural hospitals better access to the Indigent Care Trust Fund. But Clay said Marshall's vote against a bill to limit frivolous lawsuits makes it much more difficult for rural hospitals to stay open because of the higher medical costs associated with medical-malpractice lawsuits.

The two candidates also spoke out on gun rights. Clay highlighted the "A" rating he had received from the National Rifle Association, while Marshall said he'd been endorsed by the NRA.

Each candidate made a brief closing statement that summed up his world view.

"We will work to protect the sanctity of marriage," Clay said. "I believe life begins at conception. I will protect our Second Amendment rights."

"One thing Zell said about me is true, that I'm not just going to go in lockstep with party leadership and special interests," Marshall said.

Sunday's debate may be the only televised debate between Marshall and Clay accessible to the entire 3rd District.

Both campaigns expect to participate in a Tuesday debate in Dublin. However, an official with TV-35 said the debate is not expected to be broadcast beyond Laurens, Treutlen and Wilkinson counties.

The League of Women Voters also unsuccessfully tried to arrange a Marshall-Clay debate in Macon last month.