Her position on Iraq is her biggest liability, and with the sped-up primary now underway, she’s feeling heat for it so they issued a release that hits at Obama and says she has always been in favor of redeployment.
Which is all well and good, but the question that will haunt her is her vote in favor of authorizing use of force. People like Joe Biden and John Edwards who voted like she did have expressed clear regret about it. Sen. Clinton is in the unfortunate position of being in the John Kerry camp right now, trying to have it both ways.
I do not think that will wash in 2008, especially among Democratic primary voters who have seen that show before.
Did you mean redeployment?
Or is there some sort of urban renewal plan in the works?
Good grief, OW!
I would expect a post like this from RedState or Wizbang, but not from you.
Her release “hits at Obama”? I don’t see any hitting. The release says he’s mistaken. That’s about as gently as one can put it.
But this is the part of your post that I really have a problem with:
Tell me, OW. What has Sen. Clinton said about her vote? Let’s get past the standard criticism of what she HASN’T said. What HAS she said about it?
Give us an example of Sen. Clinton “trying to have it both ways.”
It’s a hit at Obama, not a strong hit by any measure, but a hit. Expect more from both sides and from other candidates.
Sen. Clinton is trying to have it numerous ways by being “strong” to vote for authorization but still be anti-war without regretting her vote.
Maybe you recognize this:
I’m not saying she hasn’t been in favor of ending the war and in redeployment, but she has not said her vote for authorization was wrong. Edwards has, Biden has, Schumer has…
(For the homegamers, Quaker is referencing “Myths and falsehoods about Hillary Rodham Clinton”, published today by Media Matters)
Quaker
Those HRC comments seem rather carefully parsed to me. I support staying the course, but to me, and Bush I suppose, that also means ending the war (favorably). And if Dems don’t end it by a Jan 09, she will - but will it be by that Jan 09 date? Why doesn’t she state she will withdraw all troops in Jan 09 - if that is her intent
(I think it would be misguided and hope she doesn’t state that - because I think she will be Pres).
And the resolution she co-sponsored addresses ‘beginning the withdrawal’. Technically Bush began the withdrawal and then withdrew his ‘beginning withdrawal’ with a surge.
She sure could be clearer if, in fact, she intends an unequivocal withdrawal by a specific date.
(I think it would be misguided and hope she doesn’t state that - because I think she will be Pres)
Man, I though HRC had a chance until I read that. Dugger’s prognostications are the kiss of death.
Turn out the light, the party’s over…
(I think it would be misguided and hope she doesn’t state that - because I think she will be Pres)
Man, I though HRC had a chance until I read that. Dugger’s prognostications are the kiss of death.
Turn out the light, the party’s over…
Parse this:
“If we in Congress don’t end this war before January 2009, as president, I will.”
Yes, she wants to end it, but what about her vote that helped to greenlight it? (And in case you’re wondering, I’ll go balls to the wall to elect Sen. Clinton if she’s the nominee, I just don’t like the position she has here)
What gets me is that instead of owning up and saying she’s sorry, she goes into this Bush tirade. that is all well and good but, you can’t just point the finger and go Bush bad. Bush lied to me and whine about it.
You see, this is the difference between her and Obama
I cannot see Obama doing that. Standing there whining about how he was lied to and how bad Bush is. Oh, poor me.
Obama handles things different and with such class. Look at how he bitch slapped Howard and then, moved on. No poor me. None of the whining. He slams and is moving along.
What happens when she is confronted with Obama in a debate???
but she has not said her vote for authorization was wrong
So what? Why on earth should that matter to anyone?
At the time, given the information she had, she made a decision and cast her vote. Nothing she says now can change that. Nothing that Edwards can say changes his vote. Nothing that Kerry can say changes his vote.
Why all the chin-pulling over whether or not she’ll say the m-word?
Well, she’s auditioning for the most important job in the world, the least she could do in my view is to explain the most important vote of her senate tenure as either something she was right to do or a mistake. No, it doesn’t change the vote at all but in 2004 Kerry didn’t say that it was a mistake, and then now he does as does Edwards. Either she thinks it is or isn’t but you can’t have it both ways.
Quaker
Not being snarky here.
“If we in Congress don’t end this war before January 2009, as president, I will.”
Thats easy to parse.
When exactly will you end it Mrs Clinton, (not when will Congress end it)?
Why not say: As Pres I will end the war Jan 09. Period.
Technically Bush began the withdrawal and then withdrew his ‘beginning withdrawal’ with a surge.
Would that be considered… a lie? Yeah, I said it.
Why not say: As Pres I will end the war Jan 09. Period.
Because even a career politicain isn’t that dumb. Probably a little more complex than that. Plus, wouldn’t that embolden our enemies?
Duros,
I agree it would be dumb and that it is more complex. Agree it would embolden the enemy. But I take it the left grass roots and people like Obama and Murtha and Sheehan don’t agree with any of that and that its starkly simple: just leave the battlefield.
I just think Ms Clinton is trying to have it both ways: placate the Sheehan left while maintaining a sane foreign policy option re Iraq. Thats why she always accuses Bush of being a child molestor or something liek that every time somebody asks her a question where she wants to dodge.
Why not say: As Pres I will end the war Jan 09. Period.
Fine.
But if we criticize Ms. Clinton for not saying that, we can add some other names to the list as well.
My peeve here is that the so-called conventional wisdom treats Ms. Clinton’s positions differently than other candidates.
Has Mr. Edwards said when HE will end the war?
Obama? OK, he has his plan to get everybody out before he’s even elected. Good luck with that. If he can pull it off, I’d be the happiest of us all. Not going to happen, though.
Anybody else set a date?
If anyone else suggests it, it’s “being realistic.”
But if a Clinton says it, it’s “trying to have it both ways.”
its starkly simple: just leave the battlefield.
That’s a big DUH!, Dugger. If we did that, we would stop letting defense contractors steal money and we would stop killing Iraqis and Americans.
We would stop the process, as far advanced as it is, of creating terorists who hate us. It seems to me like a good idea to stop creating terorists, unless you think more terrorists is a good idea.
Leaving Iraq is a WIN WIN!