"Edwards campaign hits Clinton on surge 'working' "

[Bluebear]

The Edwards campaign issued a statement attacking Clinton for comments on the surge at the VFW convention yesterday. "Senator Hillary Clinton's view that the president's Iraq policy is 'working' is another instance of a Washington politician trying to have it both ways,” said Rep. David Bonior, Edwards’ campaign manager. “You cannot be for the President's strategy in Iraq but against the war. The American people deserve straight talk and real answers on Iraq, not double-speak, triangulation, or political positioning.”

The Edwards campaign did acknowledge progress in Al-Anbar in the statement, but Bonior added that progress “should not distract us from the fact that pouring more military resources into Iraq is no substitute for the comprehensive national political solution that will ultimately resolve the situation in Iraq. … By cherry-picking one instance to validate a failed Bush strategy, it risks undermining the effort in the Congress to end this war.”

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/08/21/326913.aspx

[jgraz]

1. Good for them

Here's hoping the rest of the candidates join in.

[Nutmegger]

2. R&K for Edwards.

:kick:

[walldude]

3. How is she even still in the running?

Christ how fucking transparent can you be?

[redqueen]

ahahahahahahahahah

yeah... quite a few DUers are wondering that, it seems... judging by the reactions to the threads about her this morning

[OwnedByFerrets]

28. Because the "media" still want her to be......nt

[BuyingThyme]

4. Good.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. That didn't take long. Hopefully this speaks well of the quality of his campaign team.

[saracat]

6. Edwards rocks.he is always out front on these issues Go get her.

Triangulation should not be the reason to vote for a President!

[DURHAM D]

7. This kind of press release based on faulty reconstruction

and spinning of a comment by an opponent is what gets a candidate in trouble, esp. with the press. This is amateur hour on JE's part.

If not already, the press will soon be rolling their eyes and poking fun at JE every time they hear a new comment is on the way. In other words, they won't take him seriously after a few of these trite releases.

[Bluebear]

10. i don't know that the public will consider this a "trite press release"

America wants out of this war.

[DURHAM D]

11. Suggest you check out Media Matters on this matter.

I am sorry - but it makes John look silly.

[Lex]

13. Makes him look silly to whom? The press?

The public?

[DURHAM D]

14. From the press to the public.

John already has enough trouble getting the media to take him seriously. I wish he would stick to the hard stuff instead of just grabbing any opportunity. It makes him look desperate.

I would be willing to bet John was not actually shown the video of her speech or he would not have done this.

[Lex]

12. Let me know when that happens. Usually the press loves a good fight

between the primary candidates on any topic.

[LSK]

8. the surge was never about Al-Anbar, it was about Baghdad

[JDPriestly]

9. We cannot afford this war.

Iraqis are losing their homes over there, and Americans are losing their homes here. What is wrong with this picture? How about Bush and his half-baked Iraq strategies. The Bushes are masters of propaganda and Potemkin villages. I do not trust them for one minute. I do not believe a word coming out of Iraq at this time. None of it can be trusted in my view.

Confession: I'm bitter because I trusted Bush before we went in. My bad. I'm not making that mistake again, ever. I don't believe that Levin and other Congressmen and women who go to Iraq are getting an accurate picture. This administration is the master of smoke and mirrors. Remember Colin Powell's speech before the U.N. The Bushes select the facts to support their case and ignore unfavorable facts. I will believe the assessment of a Democratic administration headed by someone who opposes the War. We need a commitment to get out of Iraq as soon as possible and a plan to carry it out. Edwards is not wedded to the military-industrial complex and can extricate us from that quagmire.

[ecstatic]

15. How ironic. Edwards co-sponsored IWR

and I have no doubt that he would be just as useless regarding putting an end to this war if he were still in office.

[leftchick]

31. well he did say he was sorry

:sarcasm:

[GreenArrow]

16. Whoops!

http://mediamatters.org/items/200708210008

[Bluebear]

17. If you read some comments, the jury seems to be out on what she said.

Does "new tactics" equal "surge"?

Also, if there is confusion, should Hillary perhaps clarify her remarks?

[DURHAM D]

18. Go watch it - I did.

Found it on CNN yesterday.

Concept not all that difficult - unless you want it to be.

[Bluebear]

19. Please don't patronize me. I don't work for Edwards. nt

[LSK]

20. the surge was never about Al-Anbar, it was about Baghdad

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. Oh dear. Maybe the Edwards campaign should read Media Matters before they trust the spin

from Drudge and the MSM?

[DURHAM D]

22. Maybe John needs to square up and

take a good look at Joe Trippe. This is a screwup.

I repeat - I don't believe John actually watched the video or he would not have released the comments.

[in_cog_ni_to]

26. He needs to start getting quoted quotes from the horse's mouth

instead of from Drudge....and Trippe should know better after what the MSM did to Howard.

You're right. Anytime he's going to respond to something one of the Dem candidates is accused of saying, he should log on to YouTube or Media Matters.

[GreenArrow]

32. Well, he -- Edwards --

might be well served to reconsider his policy of having a press release or public statement on everything under the sun. Every day there are several press releases on everything from the war, to the heartbreak of warts, to the weather; it makes no difference, he's Johnny-on-the-spot. What he doesn't consider is that such a cavalcade of generally sanctimonious opining (I'm sure he considers it "leadership") only makes him look unfocused and opportunistic. But it's going to burn his ass this time.

[gaiilonfong]

23. Supporting Hillary is a win/ lose situation

Let her stay in the Senate, she is pretty good there. While Bill Clinton was a good president, the Democratic party SUFFERED under his constant triangulation...We need a REAL progressive candidate as the head of our party. Hillary may win the general election but it will set the progressive movement back AGAIN.
Of course IF she is the candidate, I WILL vote for her, but I think it is a BIG BIG mistake to make her our candidate. Look how long it has taken to get even a LITTLE spine back in the Democratic party, if Hillary is our candidate, and we win, it will be better than a ReTHUGlican in the WH, but our party is the loser. Mark my words. WE CAN DO BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sniffa]

24. jeez, just Like the hiLLary haters here

he's totaLLy taking her out of context.

[gaiilonfong]

25. I am NOT a Hillary hater

I just don't think her being president is GOOD for the country. Albeit better than a ReTHUGlican, WE CAN DO BETTER!

[BuyingThyme]

33. Which context have you created for her remarks?

The Anbar thing?

[deacon]

27. She's a hawk, NO WAY she will ever get my vote.

[Inuca]

29. Good for Edwards

He is 100% right on this.

[SaveElmer]

30. Interesting Edwards has decided to adopt the Republicans favorite tactic...lying about your opponent

Any claim he had to moral high ground is gone...

Not the usual political fudging the truth around the edges...a flat out, bald faced lie,that has been thoroughly debunked at Media Matters and other places...

[BuyingThyme]

34. Media Matters failed on this one.

Clinton very clearly said that the new surge tactics were working in some areas, but were implemented years too late.

Why not admit it?

[FrenchieCat]

35. Problem is Hillary never said that she was "for" Bush's strategy in Iraq,

.....like the Edwards' camp states. She simply said what is true, that the surge is showing some effect in a certain area......but it is years too late.

Fighting over Troops maneuvers is soooo stoopid....cause it doesn't change a damn thing anyways. :eyes:

Like Wes Clark stated recently at YearlyKos, "But what we've got to do is create not an argument in the United States over the troops or their tactics, but raise the debate to the administration's strategies and policies in this region. Here's why. We can't succeed in Iraq with the numbers of troops, no matter how good they are, because you can't succeed in this war just by killing people or intimidating the opposition."
http://www.texasforclark.com/WPvideo/replaces.htm

It ain't about the surge.......cause it ain't about the number of troops we have in Iraq as much as it is the policy that we are employing. Democrats are on record to the fact that this war needs to end. The surge is nothing more than a red herring....cause the surge will not win or lose anything anyways. Edwards is baiting Hillary for the sake of having something to say and getting some spotlight. :shrug:

[BuyingThyme]

36. Well, if it works in Anbar, it can work everywhere.

All we need is more time. You liberals are so impatient. Everything changed after 9/11. We could have won in Vietnam. Support the troops.

[FrenchieCat]

37. No....let's live up to our stereotypes instead....since you have decided that

slogans are supposed to mean something and make some kind of impact; Let's Cut and run, who gives a fuck about 9/11? we spit on Vietnam vets too, and we should make it all about the troops. :eyes:

Hillary didn't say that she supported the surge, nor do I believe she was ever for it. She simply made an observation based on stats and reports from what many others have already stated; the surge appears to be quelching some of the violence in one area of Iraq. She didn't say we were winning or that the surge was a sucess.

That's the thing about when politicians says what's on their mind based on the truth....they can't win one way of the other.

What I will say is that pandering to the base was obviously not on Hillary's mind, or else she would have said, "the surge stinks" or something catchy like that which could have been made into a neato press release spread around throughout the internet for Buzz sake.