Clinton defends Iraq war funding vote

[Kelvin Mace]

Source: AP

White House hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday defended her vote against an Iraq war funding bill, saying she believes President Bush will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq soon.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070530/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_iraq_4

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There are only two possible reasons for this statement of faith in Bush.

1) She's an idiot and actually believes what she says.

2) She's lying to protect her presidential bid.

Neither reason will get my vote.

[rinsd]

1. A 3rd possible reason...she is backing Bush into a corner.

"The New York senator said she came to the conclusion while watching the president's news conference last week in which he referred to the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report and its recommendations for the administration.

"He talked about it favorably for the first time I've ever heard him talk about it," Clinton told The Associated Press in an interview during a campaign stop in Las Vegas. "That was to me a big signal that starting in the fall and toward the end of the year we're going to start seeing troops withdrawn from Iraq.

"My argument is, why wait?""

IOW, Bush says he wants to follow the Iraq Study Group recommendations so let's do it. And not later, but now.

[Kelvin Mace]

2. "Backing Bush into a corner"?

Excuse me while I laugh hysterically.

She and the rest of the Dem leadership order Chapstick by the case so their lips don't get raw from kissing Bush's ass.

[rinsd]

3. Feel free to laugh.

But I see a Democrat looking to HOLD Bush to his word vs not just accepting it.

Even better, she puts it out there in the news that Bush is seriously considering a troop withdraw.

[Kelvin Mace]

10. Hold Bush to his word?

The Dem leadership gave Bush a blank check on Iraq. Pelosi promised him she would not permit any impeachment proceedings. His AG lies without fear of prosecution. Subpoenas are ignored with impunity. The Patriot Act is still law. Habeas is still suspended. Illegal wiretapping is still going on.

September will be a repeat of May with the Dems, including Hilary, caving yet again, then trying to pretend they didn't.

[rinsd]

14. Well aren't you the optimist.

I rather wait to see what actually happens before bitching about it.

[silverojo]

17. You're not an optimist

You're delusional. I knew long ago that the Dems wouldn't impeach, and they'd eventually cave in about the war.

It's not pessimism. It's realism--just look at what the Dems have done in the past, and you'll know what they'll do in the future.

[rinsd]

21. Delusionalist?

As opposed to those who think the Democrats wave a wand and the war disappears?

[Kelvin Mace]

24. No one I know expects the Dems

to "wave a wand" and make the war go away. We expected them to exercise their Constitutional authority to defund the war. Doing so was very, very easy. Keep sending Bush the same bill, or simply send him nothing at all and remind him he vetoed the money he asked for.

Contrary to what the press says (and the RW) this would not have resulted in the Army running out of bullets and having to swim home. It would have resulted in Bush having to move money from other budgets for his war. This would have resulted in more very bad press for him and eventually enough GOoPers would have changed sides to override his veto of any other future bills.

Instead the Dems, afraid Bush would call them names, gave him the money to continue killing Americans and Iraqis with no strings attached.

They them claimed it was a victory.

Now THAT is delusional.

[rinsd]

25. Defunding the war is a political loser.

Murtha for crissakes came out against it as a tactic.

Americans want out of the war but are against defunding the troops.

Shocking I know ;-) but its the same dicotomy that had them prefer the guy they wanted to have a beer with as opposed to the guy qualified for the job.

Now Clinton and Byrd have offered up a deauthorization bill that I hope catches on.

Hope springs eternal.

[Kelvin Mace]

26. They lose a few votes

or the soldiers lose their lives. I guess to a politician that's a "no brainer".

[Kelvin Mace]

18. Bookmark the post

wait 120-150 days and let's see how accurate I am.

When I first started posting that the Patriot Act would result in illegal wire taps and the ignoring of Habeas, I was doubted as well.

Predicting the spinelessness of the Dems and/or the iniquity of Bush, was like predicting that Lindsay Lohan was going to get caught abusing drugs/alcohol.

[karynnj]

28. Bush put it out there recently

[Matariki]

4. Wow - what would you be writing if she had voted FOR the funding bill?

no win situation with some people around here?

[Kelvin Mace]

6. She tip-toed up at the last minute

with Obama to vote against the bill and hoped no one would notice. So she gets no points there.

I am not slamming her voting for the bill, but for the incredibly stupid statement.

[PassingFair]

7. Hey, she FINALLY voted the CORRECT way for a chlange!

Better late than never. Obama came through, too.

That's what's SO WEIRD about this vote. LEVIN voted YES?, but CLINTON voted NO?

WTF?


"The best thing I can do to continue my very vigorous support of the troops is to begin to bring them home," she told the AP.

[Kelvin Mace]

11. You don't

"support the troops" by allowing George Bush carte blanche to get them killed.

She has also made it QUITE plain that she supports a continued occupation of Iraq if she is elected, though not at Bush's levels.

Again, I am not slamming her vote (last minute and half-hearted though it was), but her stupid statement that she "believes" Bush.

[silverojo]

16. And Lieberman's ass....

Don't forget, if the Dems do anything to piss off Joe-mentum, he could always throw a snit, join the Republican Party, and there goes the Democratic majority in the Senate.

Just another reason why the Connecticut creeps should've voted for Lamont instead of this lizard-faced prick. :mad:

[Kelvin Mace]

19. Actually, that is not entirely true

I don't think that they can change the committee assignments until the next congress. All it would result in is Judas Joe losing his seniority and committee chairmanship.

And while I am pretty pessimistic about a lot of things, I expect the Dems to pick up a few more senate seats. Of course, even if they do, they'll refuse to punish Judas Joe.

[IndianaGreen]

22. Hillary: Bush is on his last throes. We got them on the run!

She might had not used those exact very words, but that's the bullshit she is trying to spin. Unfortunately, she is not the only one!

[Harper_is_Bush]

23. What planet are you living on?

[BadgerKid]

5. She must know more than I

IOW, Bush says he wants to follow the Iraq Study Group recommendations so let's do it.

Bush also said he was looking forward to working with the new Congress. Of course, we know the subtext of that message. She can consider me doubtful he will follow through, but I am open to being pleasantly surprised.

[illinoisprogressive]

8. Clinton is not backing anyone but herself into a corner.

[mzmolly]

9. Sheesh, apparently Dems are damned if they do, damned if they don't?

:shrug:

[Kelvin Mace]

12. How so?

She just made a statement saying she believed Bush. If she had NOT made such a statement, I wouldn't be explaining how stupid or self-serving the statement was.

[mzmolly]

13. She voted against the bill and is being criticized for doing so.

I just read that Bush said we'd be in Iraq for a long time? I'm trying to figure out which it is?

[Joey Liberal]

15. Hillary sold out - I wont vote for her n/t

[Kelvin Mace]

20. Amen, brother!

[karynnj]

27. This argument would work better if she was explaining why she voted FOR the bill

The difference between the bill she voted for and the bill she voted against is that the first had a timetable for leaving. If she genuinely believed Bush was intending to leave, though not on a specific time scedule, this would make the 2 bills MORE similar. She would be funding the type of transition the Reid/Feingold assumed.

I can't think of any way that a sign that Bush may pull out on his own would make me LESS likely to vote for funding.