"She voted for the Iraq War, but I have to tell you, how many years ago was that?"

[Contrary1]

And I have something to tell Karen Finney: For those who lost limbs, or suffered brain injuries, or for the families that have buried their dead...it's not "years ago". It's every damn day.

"Clinton campaign spokeswoman Karen Finney appears on MSNBC to talk about negative campaigning and Bernie Sanders ramping up his rhetoric against Hillary on the campaign trail. Finney was questioned by MSNBC host Jose Diaz Balart if it really is negative campaigning if Sanders is pointing out the truth. Finney claimed "it's not the whole truth."

KAREN FINNEY, CLINTON CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN: I'm thinking about this. She voted for the Iraq War, but I have to tell you, how many years ago was that?

JOSE DIAZ BALART, MSNBC: But we're still talking about. It's still a political position on both sides of the aisle.

FINNEY: She's put forward a plan to deal with ISIS, and she clearly has the experience that we need to deal with the threats that we're facing around the world. Again, folks are questioning. He wants to normalize relations with Iran. And to put Iranian soldiers with, you know, in Syria, right at Israel's doorstep. Then he kind of says I didn't say that. I guess my point is Senator Sanders has had a few evolutions of his own..."

More: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/01/29/clinton_campaigns_finney_on_using_iraq_war_vote_against_hillary_how_many_years_ago_was_that.html

And this one comment wraps it all up nicely:

"This is along the lines of her Goldman speaking fees being "all in the past" - I don't get this line of reasoning.

She wants to run as the "experienced" candidate, but her actual experience is not subject to judgment or question because it was "long ago" (by someone's standard) - so then the question is, well if all her experience is so far in the past as to be irrelevant, does it even matter if she is experienced?"

[ForgoTheConsequence]

1. Disgustingly dismissive.

500,000 dead, 4,400 dead US soldiers, 32,000 injured US soldiers. BUT THAT WAS SOOOO LONG AGO

[JDPriestly]

6. So many lives ago.

Ask the moms and dads of the men and women who died in Iraq how long ago it was. I bet they can tell you. They'll tell you their kids were babies just yesterday.

[Turn CO Blue]

8. Read my mind, but wrote it out better. Unbelievably callous statement.

I usually hear at least one million Iraqis dead, but could be twice that. All those young people coming back with PSTD or their melons shaken into jelly from IEDs, missing limbs, list goes on forever. The people of Iraq having their lives torn apart, their children hit with shrapnel in front of their eyes, the infrastructure blown back to the stone age, rebuilt, bombed out again and again.

Each one affected is or was a human being, not a number -- and it doesn't matter how long ago it was.

Good judgment ALWAYS means good judgment at the time.

The streets of all the major cities on earth were literally FILLED with millions of people marching, protesting and listing out the reasons to NOT go into Iraq.

[Human101948]

21. Yet there are many who are ready to get involved in the Middle East once again...

as long as it doesn't touch them personally, war is wonderful and it shows those ragheads who's boss. Memories are short and besides we get such a warm and fuzzy feeling when we see the jets screaming over the Super Bowl and hear the gravelly voiced country singer asking us to send money to the Wounded Warrior Project. America, fuck yeah!

[SamKnause]

2. It appears there are quite a few members in the

Democratic Party that believe in looking forward not backwards.

The establishment really does not like holding their establishment

peers accountable.

[Jarqui]

3. "This is along the lines of her Goldman speaking fees being "all in the past"

29 Wall Street Fundraisers for Clinton since April 28, 2015
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511090480

And they're like her speaking event fees in terms of magnitude or more

http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/article/Your-Turn-Jan-29-6791290.php

Re: “Clinton in town today for private fundraiser; Her political ties to S.A. go back to 1972,” Metro, Jan 20; and “Clinton finds S.A. supporters are ready to write her checks,” Metro, Jan. 21:

I’m sure most of us are in awe regarding the recent “reunion” of many prominent local Democrats with Hillary Clinton. Express-News staff writer John Gonzalez’s two recent articles vividly described the unrestrained excitement of former state Sen. Joe Bernal, former Mayor Henry Cisneros, activist Choco Meza and many others regarding Clinton’s San Antonio visit.

This giddiness at the prospect of seeing her is almost comical. The high schoolish reunion was a real bargain for a mere $1,000 a plate! So 250 happy faithful sent Hillary to Iowa with at least $250,000. Not bad for a couple of hours and many hugs.

(to the woman in the video) For God's sake, wake up!

[840high]

4. ..+1

[JDPriestly]

5. Here is her problem. Perfectly stated.

She wants to run as the "experienced" candidate, but her actual experience is not subject to judgment or question because it was "long ago" (by someone's standard) - so then the question is, well if all her experience is so far in the past as to be irrelevant, does it even matter if she is experienced?"


More: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/01/29/clinton_campaigns_finney_on_using_iraq_war_vote_against_hillary_how_many_years_ago_was_that.html

[Joe Shlabotnik]

7. What a cheap hack interviewee n/t

[jfern]

9. And the ISIS that it created is pretty active today

[Eric J in MN]

10. As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton gave us the disastrous Libyan War.

Now Hillary Clinton is campaigning on being more hawkish towards Iran than Bernie Sanders is.

[silvershadow]

11. I am 100% sure I will have to tune out at some point, for my blood pressure. I'm just holding

out until after the first wave, if I can. Hoping the nominee, one way or the other, is chosen as quickly as I think he will be. Good God that woman is rather obtuse about the actual sacrifice- or is it just me?

[Old Crow]

12. The spinning and dishonesty from the Clinton camp is SO apparent...

... I'm astounded that everyone out there isn't repelled by it. I know I am.

Dishonesty, talking out of both sides of the mouth, misrepresentations, refusal to answer simple questions--for heaven's sake, is there ANYONE who really believes this is what American politics needs MORE of?

WTF.

[merrily]

13. Are people still dead and damaged and displaced? Is the Middle East still de-stablized?

Is the US Treasure still depleted?

Has her judgment improved? Is she less in favor of war and regime change?

Sorry, the way her supporters try to explain away and minimize her vote and her advoacy for this war and her excuse for same is nothing short of bizarre.

[Helen Borg]

14. Would someone who murdered people 15 years ago....

Be eligible to run for President, just because it was long ago?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

23. Admittedly, that rules out a large swath of Congress.

There's a lot of blood on hands to go around.

[Tortmaster]

15. The AUMF vote was wrong. There's no doubt about that.

I would suggest, however, that it was less craven than Senator Sanders’ decades-long track record of caving to the NRA because he was afraid of a few bumper stickers. From his book,

“During the 1994 campaign the NRA had played a very forceful role against me. They distributed widely a ‘Bye, Bye, Bernie’ bumper sticker.”

From 1993 to 2011 there were 13 million non-fatal gun victims in the United States. That does not count the completed suicides and murders.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

25. I think you're seeing what you want to see there.

Bernie EASILY beat back the NRA backed candidate when they thought they were going to 'win back the office' after he was in it one term after they boosted his campaign once to oust someone else who displeased them. He was never 'afraid of a few bumper stickers'. He simply believes in the rights of hunters. And he's RIGHT to vote against holding manufacturers liable for selling legal, working products. It's a bill of attainder, and unconstitutional. We don't hold any other manufacturer of any other type of legal product liable for selling products that work as designed.

A lot of people hunt legally and safely. And defend themselves and their livestock and pets from large carnivores. There IS a place for guns in society. Just a FAR smaller one than currently exists in gun-drenched America.

[Martin Eden]

36. +1

Bernie gets a D- from the NRA. Claiming that he's a sellout on the gun issue is a desperate grab for straws.

Here at DU we knew the case for war with Iraq was bogus, and if Hillary was fooled by GW Bush she is not qualified to be president.

[Contrary1]

38. After reading his other posts, this seems to be the only issue he cares about.

Sure, I would like to see more gun control, but I'm not about to vote for her because of that, given her views on
pretty much everything else.

[arcane1]

35. What a way to piss on thousands of dead American soldiers just to score a political point.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

When your timeout is over I hope you choose not to come back

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

39. Timeout?

His transparency page isn't showing.

But I just remembered where I recognized that name. He's a Hill supporter popping over from Daily Kos.

[jalan48]

16. It's good Chelsea came back unharmed from her stint in Iraq.

What? She didn't go?

[ihaveaquestion]

17. War is Forever

But I guess Ms Finney didn't know that - or know anyone actually affected by war.

[democrank]

18. A very cold, heartless comment from Karen Finney.

Another Clinton mouthpiece bragging about experience but ignoring judgment.

[Enthusiast]

19. She says, "The numbers don't add up on Bernie's heath care plan." I call bullshit!

The savings could actually exceed any claims Bernie made.

[Mbrow]

20. K&R

not to forget that there was plenty of info that the whole thing was a scam from the start, there was a reason people were protesting it before it got going and certain people voted against it.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

22. And the Libyan one, and the 'surge', and every other possible damn bit of violence

she could while she was SoS, pressuring the President to use violence as a tool every time she could.

(Disclosure: I was for AN action in Libya, to prevent what I saw as the imminent slaughter of an entire city. But, as always, America had to use a sledgehammer, rather than a flyswatter.)

[n2doc]

24. "She has a plan to deal with ISIS"

Yep, a plan that involves more civilian casualties, more endless war in Iraq and Syria (without a formal declaration, of course) and more war mongering against Iran.

And of course, lots more $$$ for the MIC. Some undoubtedly will be passed back through to their 'foundation'

[orpupilofnature57]

26. They have a word for " in the past ", History and if you look not to hard, hers sucks .

[INdemo]

27. So then the lives lost because of that vote are suddenly going to come back to life?

Her vote was soooooo many years ago?

Hillary has said many times "I have a plan" but never has the details.

Now she is saying: She's put forward a plan to deal with ISIS
Ok where are the details? She has none

I would bet she has the details on how many $$$ she received from the High Rollers in Philly though...

And then how about her favortism with the Swiss banks and getting the IRS off their ass...in exchange for a huge contribution to her"Clinton Foundation fund" Oh but that was so many years ago".

[onecaliberal]

28. People are still dying because of that Clusterfuck of a decision. Maybe do yourself

A favor and check the suicide rate of veterans who served in those wars. Dead is forever! Should the parents of dead soldiers get over it already, please have the secretary provide us with her getting over it timeline. Breathtaking stupidity in that statement. Sick of Hillary and her smear and liar machine. She has NO clue the suffering happening today because of that war. She has no skin in the game so she has no fucks to give about it.

[SoapBox]

29. I lost all respect for Finney...

And I used to think she was a logical voice on MSNBC.

Now I understand she's just another paid hack, that spews whatever her employer wants her to.

Another reason I've separated myself from MSNBC.

[jillan]

31. Same here!

[jillan]

30. The consequences from that vote will be felt for decades. We opened the hornet's nest.

A vote for war is the most important vote a member of the government takes.

[MisterP]

32. heck, she's already making noises about rehiring "the Sunnis" to fight Iran

IS was just a fluke, evidently, they'll calm down once we rehire their defectors

[tk2kewl]

33. just blood under the bridge

Is that how the saying goes?

[jomin41]

34. HRC has no excuse for that vote.

The truth was obvious to anyone with a brain. Her vote was either cowardly or gullible or incredibly poor judgement. In any case, not what I want in my first choice. I'm so glad we have an alternative. I'm for Bernie, the PEACE candidate.