Clinton Promises to End War if Elected

[Herman Munster]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070202/D8N1QQR02.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she would not have attacked Iraq if she were president in 2002 and would end the war if elected, as she tried to blunt rivals like John Edwards who are stoking anti-war passions in the Democratic Party.

Clinton, raising her voice at one point to be heard above anti-war hecklers, suggested that calls from Edwards and others to cut off funding for President Bush's troop increase are unlikely to win approval in a narrowly divided Senate.

"Believe me, I understand the frustration and the outrage," Clinton said in a speech to the Democratic National Committee meeting that brought the party's nine White House hopefuls together for the first time. "You have to have 60 votes to cap troops, to limit funding to do anything. If we in Congress don't end this war before January 2009, as president, I will."

The New York senator's comments were her strongest against the war and signal an effort to confront one of the biggest threats to her front-runner status. As the conflict nears the four-year mark, she has been on the opposite side of the most outspoken anti-war activists who are a force in the Democratic primaries.

[dflprincess]

1. Nixon made the same promise

he had a "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War.

[Joe for Clark]

7. Man that is the first thing that came to mind.

I am a Wes Clark person - I admit it. But I'll say, while I WANT Gore, I have no problem with Edwards. (I am convinced Clark is desperately needed at DOD)

But Hillary - so crosses the line with me.

She was Ms. war and now she is....what ...I am going to end it???? 3,000 kids later!!!

You know, I am pretty tired of losing. I want someone who can think on their feet. And if it is not Clark or Gore but Edwards - all ok with me. Kucinich is ok with me - they are honest to their principals.

I will vote for Hagel first - he was a lot more honest the Ms Clinton was.

Joe

[TahitiNut]

15. Exactly.

How many more will die waiting for a campaign promise? :puke:

Sorry ... but I made that mistake once. Never again.

[hiaasenrocks]

2. So she finally figured out what she believes.

Or...not.

Her comment about there never being an invasion had she been president is just laughable. She voted for the war, and has voted for further funding since the initial vote.

[USA_1]

14. She Also Reportedly Said Iran Is A Threat ...

... to world peace. At least one of the news sources (I believe it was the AP) said so.

Unfortunately, she is too indecisive and will condemn Bush's war on the one hand but help finance it on the other hand. This does not help her chances in the campaign.

I notice that there are a great deal of attacks on her throughout web forums such as that of the Des Moines Register where I used to post occasionally. Since Democrats do not answer such attacks I won't bother to do so, either.

[Nutmegger]

3. .

[derby378]

4. I really hate to say this...

...but it sounds like she's telling us not to expect too much out of the Senate, that the neo-cons have won anyway and we should just sit there and take it. The fact that George W. Bush is so willing to throw up to 48,000 soldiers into the meat grinder for purely political reasons tells me that Hillary's comments don't go far enough.

[Herman Munster]

5. she's right though

You can't change the facts.

We don't have 60 votes to leave now.

[derby378]

6. If Senate Dems play their cards right, we don't NEED 60 votes

Just remember how many times the Republicans ram-rodded the most noxious proposals through the process with less than 60 votes. This is the time for Democrats in the Senate to get creative and start working for our troops instead of waiting for a few more Republicans to hopefully come around.

[Joe for Clark]

12. That is such BS.

SO - I guess we don't even need a senate, do we.

Everything starts with a first step. And this is ALL political.

Lets at least have the first step.

Joe

[justiceischeap]

10. Seems to me it was a glaring moment of honesty from a politician

You should cherish that, it doesn't happen often. :)

I think people are going to read into her statements how ever they want to. For some folks, nothing Hillary says will ever be good enough, honest enough, smart enough, tough enough, anti-war enough, anti-b*sh enough, anti-anything enough.

What I don't understand is why so many on here villify her. People can change—Clark was a Republican now he's a Democrat. Jim Webb, who everyone seems so enamoured with, again, used to be a Republican.

It seems we only like candidates who say what we want to hear in our me, me, me society.

For me, I'm listening to all the candidates. I think we have a great opportunity to get to know all the candidates in the next two years and this time will prove whether or not they are stumping or genuinely want to help get America out of all the quagmires we're in. This election is about more than the war and I'm tired of it being a single issue campaign at this point.

Yes, I want the war to end, I want my friends who are in Iraq to come home safely and soon however, I also want to make sure that attention is being paid to our domestic issues, which are mostly being ignored.

{bring on the fire}

[LSK]

8. This is on CSPAN2 right now

Obama is speaking right now, Edwards, Clark, Kucinich, Hillary are coming up

[tabasco]

9. When?

I want a fucking date sometime in the next six months. None of this bullshit "when Iraq is secure" like Bush spouts off. But that's what you're going to get from a pandering politician like Hillary.

[scarletwoman]

11. Well, whooptee-doo. How about ending it NOW?

The criminal psycopaths in the White House need to be hauled out in straight jackets immediately -- can't the U.S. Senate do ANYTHING about it?

sw

[illinoisprogressive]

13. Oh, yes, promise anyone anytihng for that ultimate power trip

[KoKo]

16. Didn't Nixon Pledge to end the War in Vietnam when he ran, also?

:eyes: We might just have an extenuating circumstance inbetween. Like us Attacking Iran that might cast her plans into the Nuclear Wind.

[Bob Dole]

17. Obama's trying to get a withdrawal NOW.

And has always been anti-Iraq War.