Democratic 2008 hopefuls square off Monday in S.C.

CNN and YouTube will co-host a debate of the Democratic presidential candidates on Monday evening.

The debate, which will be held in South Carolina, is the first of the 2008 election season that is officially sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee.

Gov. Bill Richardson and the other Democratic presidential contenders will all be in attendance. CNN and YouTube will host a debate of the Republican candidates on Sept. 17.

This debate will be different because, for the past week, citizens were able to submit video of themselves asking questions they want the candidates to answer. Instead of journalists, those citizens selected by CNN’s producers will be asking the questions. You’ll also be able to provide post-debate commentary that could be used on CNN by clicking here.

The debate begins at 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. You can watch it live on CNN. You’ll probably also be able to watch it live on the network’s Web site.

In addition, CNN is making video of its presidential debates available without copyright for reproduction. I may be able to post video of some or all of the debate on this site on Tuesday. Either way, I’ll have analysis, so check in then.