(Hillary) Clinton: Democrats 'struggling' with Iraq

[sabra]

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/politics/14886918.htm

Clinton: Democrats 'struggling' with Iraq

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded Friday the Democrats are "openly struggling with a lot of the difficult issues," but said that was better than the GOP's "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil."

The senator and potential presidential candidate said the Democrats' debate a day earlier on the Senate floor about war policy in Iraq was actually a sign of party strength, not weakness.

"Although unity is important it is not the most important value. It is, I think, a tribute to the Democratic Party at this moment in time that we are honestly and openly struggling with a lot of the difficult issues facing our country," Clinton, D-N.Y., told the New Democrat Network.

On the issue of Iraq, Clinton has been buffeted by competing forces within her party. Many elements of the party's liberal base want an immediate or timed withdrawal of troops from Iraq, while others feel such a position may weaken the party's electoral chances this year and in 2008.

[robinlynne]

1. oh Hillary, get over yourself. we want out of this war!

[ShortnFiery]

6. I'm glad that I don't live in New York State ...

I wouldn't vote for "her arrogant highness", one each, Hillary Clinton for Senator, much less President. Yeah, Hillary, how about you "catch a clue" and STFU?

Kerry's FINALLY got it right. :applause: :thumbsup:

[IndianaGreen]

23. Hillary would have "struggled" over segregation and slavery

Rather than take the moral position on segregation and slavery, Hillary would have avoided taken a stance because of fears she would have lost votes. People may not realize this today, but at a certain point in history segregation was widely accepted, even by those that lived in the North. Northern Democratic politicians feared splitting the party by supporting desegregation. The same could be said for slavery, an issue that even our Founding Fathers chose to ignore as an issue for fear that they couldn't form a Union.

Those of us on the lunatic fringe have always known that Lincoln was right in signing the Emancipation Declaration, and that Dr. King was right in opposing segregation. Some issues are more important than party or country. Slavery is wrong, segregation is wrong, discrimination is wrong, bigotry is wrong, sexism is wrong, homophobia is wrong, and the war is wrong!

[Tellurian]

40. kick~

[w4rma]

13. She's correct this time. (nt)

[IndianaGreen]

21. Hillary is the one struggling with Iraq

She voted for the war thinking that it would not be an issue once the US took Baghdad. She was wrong! She has continued to support the war thinking that to oppose Bush is a sign of weakness. She is still wrong! She voted against the Kerry-Feingold proposal thinking that giving Bush another pass on the war would win her some moderate votes down the road. She will be wrong!

[jamesinca]

30. I am not struggling with this war

but then of course I am not a war monger trying to get out of an unpopular war that I want to be in and get credit for, while I try to appease the anti-war crowd. Poor conflicted little creature that Hillary is. Maybe that is Hillary's struggle that she refers too.

Maybe somebody needs to explain to her that being strong on National Security does not mean you have to be a war monger. Maybe she needs to be reminded of why she left the Republican party in the late 60's. It was because of the way that they were handling the war under Nixon. She has become the thing that she hates.

[agio]

2. I agree with Hill on this

... and not much else: "Although unity is important it is not the most important value. It is, I think, a tribute to the Democratic Party at this moment in time that we are honestly and openly struggling with a lot of the difficult issues facing our country."

Democrats do not, and should not, march lock-step. A range of responses to the Iraq War is appropriate.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Maybe she should just sign up with faux newz

Isn't 'the democrats are divided' one of the current rovian talking points? Does anybody here think that HRC doesn't know that she is catapulting their propaganda?

Seems to me that there were exactly 6 Demasshat senators who are 'divided' from their party, as of the voting this week.

[roguevalley]

4. putting struggle and democrat together hurts us all. Murtha certainly

isn't struggling. She is. Its hard to speak out of all sides of your mouth when you're fronting your own ambitions. I want the war over. the majority of america does too. Does that sound like struggle, woman?!
Either live with your position, whatever it is this week, or shut up.

[OKNancy]

5. Good soundbite actually

"Democrats' debate a day earlier on the Senate floor about war policy in Iraq was actually a sign of party strength, not weakness."

[Gloria]

26. Isn't this basically what Begala just advised? To point out

that the GOP has no plan, but Democrats are discussing what to do? Which is what grownups should be doing?

Except "struggling" is a crappy way to put it.....it sounds weak. Begala says to be aggressive about it....this is NOT aggressive, but self-defeating.

[PATRICK]

7. The public is openly struggling

with Democratic party "leadership". Leadership means unity of a sort, of some sort. What CAN hurt the vote in 2006 is precisely what Hillary is trying to put the best face on. It is not the understandable different positions by thinking decent and responsible Democrats, it is the compromised consensus. You don't compromise with yourself unless you are going to betray part of yourself. Compromise is dealing with the just demands and positions of others. Unfortunately all of those differences are bundled into one party and it must take a stand against the polar opposite of law and civil government that is absolutely demonstrably the GOP anti-American Coup. The small detail of where the propaganda bombarded people are and want to be- in the best of the Dem platform seems to be a matter of profound ignorance among too many party leaders. They expect the people to fail under that barrage and it will be themselves who will fall in Novembers to come hiding behind the lines.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nolabels]

18. Plays well in corporate media

I never watch or listen to the crap, haven't for a long time. It's so much easier now to pick up on the slant, that you know where they are going with it just after a very few words

[Malva Zebrina]

9. yup Hillary--Democrats are "struggling' and you are the biggest

"Struggler" of all--putting yourself in with the "group" will not erase your huge mistakes--and what of those who were right to begin with? They are NOT struggling at all and the more power to them.

Cut the crap--don't try to pull the wool over the eyes of the people by suggesting that you, amongst others, are "struggling" If you would be more honest, you would have gone the way of those who did NOT join in with the "struggling" Democrats. They struggle and are in deep angst because of that stupid vote--THEY WANTED THE WAR AND SO DID YOU.

[Joey Liberal]

10. I'm struggling with Hillary n/t

[gratuitous]

11. She makes one salient point

The Democrats are having an open discussion about what to do in Iraq. We thrashing out a lot of different ideas, some of which I agree with, others I definitely disagree with, including Hillary's position (whatever it is today).

But Democrats are having a discussion on this, while Republicans are simply closing their eyes, plugging their ears and singing "La, la, la, I can't hear you" while hoping that this will result in a better situation in Iraq.

Whatever the merits or demerits of the Democrats' current process, it's a hell of a lot better than the big, fat nothing being done by the party controlling all three branches of government.

[VegasWolf]

12. Hillary is becoming Rove's second favorite democrat after Lieberman! nt

[niceypoo]

43. Actually Zell is his fave

followed by Lieberman then Hillary

[modrepub]

14. There is no struggle

we have to fight the terrorists. It's how we do it and who does it that counts in my books. The incompetent boobs in office right now have blown it. There's a fairly simple response to them "They must go!"

We need people who can outline their goals clearly, get them done with limited resources, accomplish them as soon as possible and recognize when they have failed so someone else can try. I have yet to see anyone offer much on this front. All I see are chicken hawks who are good at cheering the troops, dividing the nation and handing out bricks of money to their cronies.

[maxsolomon]

15. why do we have to fix their mess?

its a trap. throw colin powell's 'pottery barn rule' back on them.

don't struggle, hillary. ATTACK.

[xxqqqzme]

16. I'm a democrat and I'm not struggling

w/ the 'Iraq' issue at all. It was an illegal invasion and now it is an illegal occupation. Whats 2 struggle?

[shadowknows69]

17. Get a few angry calls Thursday Hil?

I truly hope so. There is no confusion in America. 3/4 of the country supported the Kerry/Feingold proposal. Get on board.

[ckramer]

19. Hillary I found a picture for you

[RCinBrooklyn]

20. No Hillary, YOU are struggling. Everyone else is quite clear. Jerk!

[xchrom]

22. hillary, i'm not struggling with iraq -- most people here aren't.

most people in the bay area aren't srtuggling with it.

why don't acept the fact that you are dismayed by the response you've gottn about your stand on iraq -- dismayed and confused.

and you are honestly lost.

hillary this should tell you -- you aren't presidential material.

[TexasLawyer]

24. Clinton is up for re-election this year

Any chance of sending her packing? Seriously, she is a menace and a disgrace.

[nealmhughes]

25. Hillary, when did you get promoted from backbencher?

[fshrink]

27. There was not much of a struggle when they, and she, voted for war.

On that day, democrats put themselves at the mercy of their opponents. That's what the struggle is about: consequence of a total lack of political courage then.

[samsingh]

28. what struggle?

bush and his bunch misused intelligence, hid the truth, lied about Iraq and convinced people to support the invasion.

now that the truth is out, we are all against the war and the repugs.

[VegasWolf]

29. Hillary agrees with Bush's Folly. nt

[Terran1212]

31. We must beat her in the Primaries as hard as we can!!!

Send a clear message to the Democratic Party that we don't want GOP appeasers.

[IndianaGreen]

32. Yes, Hillary must be beaten, but to do that we will need to coalest

around an anti-Hillary candidate that has the money and support to stop her Presidential ambitions on her tracks.

[Terran1212]

33. People Power

The people are fed up with the war and all we need to do is proclaim one thing proudly everywhere in every form of media we can:

HILARY: 100% WAR SUPPORTER

[Tellurian]

34. HILLARY, YOU ARE UNBEARABLY CLUELESS !!!!

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY REPRESENT THE OPPOSITION PARTY
WHEN YOU KEEP SUGARCOATING YOUR MESSAGE?

AFRAID TO OFFEND?

HOW QUICKLY YOU'VE FORGOTTEN IT WAS THEY WHO
EMBARRASSED YOU AND YOUR FAMILY- ARE YOU THINKING
YOU ARE DEALING WITH KINDERGARTEN FOLK?

CLUE PHONE: THE PEOPLE YOU ARE DEALING WITH ARE OUTRIGHT CRIMINALS-
PLEASE STOP TRYING TO BE THEIR BEST FRIEND WHEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
NEED SOMEONE BOLD ENOUGH TO CHAMPION THEIR CAUSE.

IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT; GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!!

[pinkpops]

35. posturing, finagling, teetering, tap-dancing....

but struggling?

[depakid]

36. Well, that's one way to put it

And since the Dems have trouble showing unity of almost ANYTHING these days when it comes to opposing the far right- it'd be nice if it would stick....

I guess we'll see in November.

Personally, I'm not optimistic- I think the party's inability to muzzle their DINO's and their failure to stand up for traditional Democratic principles (damn near all year long) may cost them a 7th straight election... despite the Republican implosion.

You can't keep doing the same thing- punting away winning issues year after year and legitimizing the opposition- and expect a different result. A wise man once called that insantity.

[Vidar]

37. Hillary is struggling with reality.

[Clarkie1]

38. Really, the senate has very limited (if any) influence on Iraq anyway. nt

[Tellurian]

39. If Hillary is not part of the solution, then she's part of the problem..

Who cares about the Senate. If she's recognized as a public speaker
what else does she need to tell it like it is?

[leesa]

41. No, Hillary, we are struggling with your dishonesty about it.

[young_at_heart]

42. Does she understand how easily Cheney/Rumsfeld have used them?

The MOST powerful Vice President in history.....why is that? He has called the Iraq shots since before he took office and everyone is scared shitless of him.