I'll bring our boys home from Iraq, says Clinton

[Omaha Steve]

Source: news.com.au

HILLARY Clinton yesterday admitted she wants to make history by becoming the first female president of the United States but said it was wrong for people to think that was her primary motivation.

snip

Ms Clinton, considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, spoke on the need for universal healthcare, a withdrawal from Iraq, more jobs and union-friendly policies.

She said Iraq war veterans who suffered mental or physical injuries deserved health care for life. She also pledged to end the war.

"If George Bush will not bring our troops home, then I will," she said, before leaving to address festival-goers in New Orleans.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22033978-401,00.html

[msongs]

1. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1......let the DU swiftboating begin.... nt

[MaineDem]

6. Didn't take long.

You were right.

[tabasco]

18. Anybody who criticizes Holyry must be a swiftboater!

What a stupid post.

[merwin]

34. The DU swiftboaters here just yell and scream that she's lying and

paying lip service. That's not criticism, that's bashing. For example, when she said she was pro-union, the swiftboaters said she was just pandering, even though her voting record is 90%+ voting for unions. Go figure.

[harun]

46. I would just like to remind you she is a SITTING Senator

and there is a hell of a lot she can do for Universal Care and ending the Iraq nonsense right now.

[youngdem]

2. Slowly, in bags.

[DemBones DemBones]

24. I thought "Dead or alive?" when I saw the headline.

And then "In the cabin or in coffins in the cargo hold?"

I do not trust any of the Dems except Kucinich. He's the only one who was speaking out against attacking Iraq in early 2002 and has continued to speak out, even when the war was going well (for that week or so when we were being told we had kicked Saddam's ass, before it all went to hell.)

If others in Congress had the courage Kucinich does, we would have been out of there long ago, the PATRIOT Act would no longer exist, we'd be out of NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, and the WTO, and we'd have single payer health care for all.


Vote Dennis Kucinich for President 2008

[leftchick]

3. the "combat boys" NOT the "base boys"

they will have to stay a few decades. :eyes:

[madrchsod]

4. if george does`t you will?

that`s to fuck`n late hillary- do something now...

[MaineDem]

5. Bad headline.

She never said "boys". Hillary, of all people, knows there are women over there as well. This is bad reporting by the headline editor!

[shanti]

7. when, in ten years, hillary?

:eyes:

[Malva Zebrina]

8. Bill/Hill--who decided ?

she, or he, most likely he, decided that this is the best approach--bring em home---but when? Oh, doesn't matter when--when the embassy is completed and all the oil wells are secured and all the bases are secure , Bill? Hillary?
Sorry folks, the game of the tag team has just begun. What else? All the other concerns have been covered, like health care? Not? She is all for health care and so are we all, right? How, Bill,Hillary? Feh. I don't vote for those who voted for this insane invasion and occupation and SHE VOTED FOR IT. Have you forgotten that? Look at the deaths that occur daily and have you forgotten that she tried to pull the wool over your eyes by saying, incredibly, that she was "duped", even as Bill was being briefed, and even after spending all that time in DC, in the middle of politics? No, she was not duped. She was betting that you would forget about it, and it looks as though many progressives and liberals are willing to forget about it. Not me. Never. We will soon be in the 4000 range of Americans killed for nothing in Iraq. Human beings blown up for nothing. Feh

[Cookie wookie]

11. Saw an old Code Pink Utube the other day where they met with

Hillary before the war started & she said that she supported the war because of wmd. Well all I can say is if we have leaders in DC who have access to so much more information than we have and who still get it wrong (while we get it right from the beginning -- all of us who marched and worked to stop the war from happening knew better than she did -- then she doesn't have the analytical skills to be president. Ha. We saw the lies, but she was "duped". No, no. We don't need anyone that dense as president -- or maybe she wasn't really duped ....

[arewenotdemo]

25. I saw the thing, too. It was EXTREMELY UNFLATTERING, to say the least.

More like disgusting.

At one point she became very dismissive to one of the CP speakers, mentioning "how hard" it was for her to even be there.

And this was after an enthusiastic welcome by CP upon her Majesty's arrival.

[RedSock]

40. ding ding ding

Well said, cookie!!!

[Connie_Corleone]

9. Where did they get "boys" from?

If the reporter is going to quote Hillary Clinton, it should be in the story. Otherwise, I have to assume that this quote is made up.

[MaineDem]

12. Headline quote looks made up to me

I didn't see it anywhere in the article where she used "boys".

Reporters do not usually write their own headlines.

[billyoc]

10. IF Elected, Clinton Says Some G.I.’s in Iraq Would Remain (NYT)

WASHINGTON, March 14 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton foresees a “remaining military as well as political mission” in Iraq, and says that if elected president, she would keep a reduced military force there to fight Al Qaeda, deter Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds and possibly support the Iraqi military.

In a half-hour interview on Tuesday in her Senate office, Mrs. Clinton said the scaled-down American military force that she would maintain would stay off the streets in Baghdad and would no longer try to protect Iraqis from sectarian violence — even if it descended into ethnic cleansing.

In outlining how she would handle Iraq as commander in chief, Mrs. Clinton articulated a more nuanced position than the one she has provided at her campaign events, where she has backed the goal of “bringing the troops home.”

She said in the interview that there were “remaining vital national security interests in Iraq” that would require a continuing deployment of American troops. (emphasis added)

...

Does she really think anyone is stupid enough to believe her? I'm just embarrassed for the DLC at this point, if this
is the best they have to offer.

[ohio2007]

13. Here's to the new boss...same as the old boss. nt

[arewenotdemo]

23. So she'll keep a military presence there just for the oil.

With absolutely no pretense of providing security for the Iraqis. Not that that isn't just an in-joke in the WH, anyway. But she couldn't be clearer about it.

If she's elected president, Elliot Abrams will probably be offered Secretary of State.

[Orsino]

37. Pointing out facts = swiftboating. n/t

[originalpckelly]

14. Was she involved in sending them over there in the first place?

Isn't she still refusing to say her vote was wrong?

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. WHICH troops HIllary?

She has been saying she will bring the combat troops home. But there are other troops there. She needs to come out and say she will bring home ALL of our troops, force the contractors out of Iraq AND stop building bases there. Out of Iraq means OUT OF IRAQ. Her double speak on this issue isn't convincing those of us in the anti-war camp.

[camero]

16. Yeah, she'll bring em home

After they've extracted all the oil.

[ckramer]

17. I'm sold to Hillary when she mentioned "universal healthcare"

Universal health care is her most strong point.

But I hope it's Bush who brings the troops home realizing the Iraq war is a huge f***** mistake.

If we wait till Hillary re-entering the White House, prepare to add another 2,000 dead soldiers to the casualty list. (presuming 100 deaths per month)

[diamidue]

19. Correct me if I am wrong,

but didn't Hillary go on record as saying she wants to have Universal Health care coverage "at the end of her second term"??

IF, and that's a big "if" she gets a second term, that will start in 2012 and end in 2016. Promising some vague UHC in 2016 would suggest that it isn't very high up there on her list of things to do.

I'm not impressed. Edwards has said he will start working on UHC on January 2009 if he is elected.

Once again, pls. correct me if I am mistaken.

[ckramer]

20. Where did you hear that

Any source or links?

[diamidue]

21. here's a couple of links

You'll need to scroll down a ways to see her quote:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/steven_thomma/story/15648.html

another, from the Washington Post:
http://www.healthdecisions.org/News/default.aspx?doc_id=108505&source=rss

[ckramer]

36. Thanks for the links

Here is what I read:

Edwards wants to start putting universal health care in place as soon as he's sworn into office in January of 2009 (sounds good to me); Obama promised to do it by the end of his first term (reasonable too); Hillary said that she will have universal health care coverage by the end of her second term, meaning she would be working on it far earlier than the end of second term.

But why second term? I don't get it. There are tens of thousands Americans die because lacking of health care. Why wait?

[Zhade]

39. "Second term" is an easier way to utter a bald-faced lie, that's why.

NT!

[DemBones DemBones]

26. She won't give us single payer health care; she'll do what the insurance

companies tell her they want and call it universal health care.

If you want single payer health care that covers everyone, vote for Dennis Kucinich. He'll also bring the troops home. I don't think any of the other Dems, much less the Republicans, will end the war.

[IndianaGreen]

29. You are right! Hillary serves Big Pharma and the health insurance companies

Only Dennis Kucinich offers real universal health care, a single payer system.

[DemBones DemBones]

32. I don't understand why people believe

her when she says "but the insurance companies have to be involved." Why do they? Because they've donated heavily to her campaign, of course!

My daughter and I were talking today about how much we'd like to see a woman president, but not Hillary. When she was First Lady, we thought she was great but we've learned more about her, not to mention how Bill's terms turned out. NAFTA and "the end of welfare as we know it" and thousands of Iraqi children dead because of the embargo he maintained. I wonder what's happened to all the people who were kicked off welfare when Bill was in office? I fear they're in far worse shape now.

[BigDDem]

43. Think Kucinich

is going to win the nomination?

[dysfunctional press]

45. all she has to do is mention 'universal healthcare' and you're sold...?

that is truly sad...

you might want to do a little research into what hillary and her funding buddies at Big Pharma and Big Insurance consider 'unversal healthcare' to mean.

[Arugula Latte]

22. Yeah, well too bad you frickin' voted to send them there in the first place. n/t

[Skittles]

27. it will forever sicken me, Oregonian

it boggles my mind how ANYONE could have voted to give war authorization to that lying, thieving, warmongering piece of SHIT - it is not forgivable in my mind, not at ALL

[Arugula Latte]

30. She didn't care about anything except immediate political fallout at the time.

She didn't want the press to scream about her being "soft on defense" and all that crap... Ugh. I can't imagine being willing to let thousands of others die to further your own personal political ambitions.

[Skittles]

31. you know it

they put their careers above the interests of America - the way I see it is, if I knew it was bullshit, why didn't they? The fact is, THEY DID KNOW IT - BUT VOTED FOR IT ANYWAYS. Now when I hear them claim they were "MISLED" - OMG - that tells me they are L I A R S too

[HughBeaumont]

47. It's the most hilarious and at the same time, unconscionable thing someone can say.

"DUH, w'ull, I din't know he'd lie to us . . . d'uh . . ."

UNbelieveable.

For all of Hillary's degrees, acclaim and experience, she sure can't seem to read people worth a shit. He's a BUSH. He steals, he lies, he cares only about corporations and gives no shit about anyone who isn't making $300,000 per year, he breaks the law and gets away with it. That's what he DOES. That's what ALL Bushes do. What part of this did NO one understand going in? What was so enigmatic and charming about this fortunate son assrapist that no one GOT it? What about this war-prelude fantasy concocted by defense corporation-bought warhawks was SO iron-clad a case that attacking a nation that threatened not ONE American citizen seemed so completely plausible?

Same goes for the Dumberican public. I believe there was some chicanery involved in BOTH elections to get the Simian in there, but there's always one burning question I have to ask that gets my blood boiling.

After all we knew about this man and after ALL the trouble his administration had caused and lack of ONE thing positive that happened for the middle class during his first term . . . WHY was this election even CLOSE enough to steal? You gotta be one supremely gullible or just flat-out lobotomized stupid idiot to believe giving this doorknob a second chance would improve things. I can't be nice to people who are experiencing buyers remorse and I don't care if I'm not building bridges.

[IndianaGreen]

28. Hillary is a bald face liar! She has said she will keep a residual force in Iraq!

The United States’ security would be undermined if parts of Iraq turned into a failed state that serves as a petri dish for insurgents and Al Qaeda. It is right in the heart of the oil region. It is directly in opposition to our interests, to the interests of regimes, to Israel’s interests.

-- Hillary Clinton

Published on Thursday, March 15, 2007 by the New York Times

If Elected... Clinton Says Some G.I.’s in Iraq Would Remain

by Michael R. Gordon and Patrick Healy

WASHINGTON — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton foresees a “remaining military as well as political mission” in Iraq, and says that if elected president, she would keep a reduced military force there to fight Al Qaeda, deter Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds and possibly support the Iraqi military.

In a half-hour interview on Tuesday in her Senate office, Mrs. Clinton said the scaled-down American military force that she would maintain would stay off the streets in Baghdad and would no longer try to protect Iraqis from sectarian violence — even if it descended into ethnic cleansing.

In outlining how she would handle Iraq as commander in chief, Mrs. Clinton articulated a more nuanced position than the one she has provided at her campaign events, where she has backed the goal of “bringing the troops home.”

She said in the interview that there were “remaining vital national security interests in Iraq” that would require a continuing deployment of American troops.

The United States’ security would be undermined if parts of Iraq turned into a failed state “that serves as a petri dish for insurgents and Al Qaeda,” she said. “It is right in the heart of the oil region,” she said. “It is directly in opposition to our interests, to the interests of regimes, to Israel’s interests.”

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0315-02.htm

[Faux pas]

33. A vote for hillary is a vote for business as usual. n/t

[ikojo]

35. Union friendly ACTIONS would include

Doing away with NAFTA

A more worker friendly Dept of Labor

Universal health insurance for all regardless of age, gender or socio economic status.

Since Hillary voted to send the troops to Iraq, should we really expect that she would lead the charge to bring ALL of them home?

I was at a meeting about a month ago and someone present at the meeting said that in the 60s a Democratic candidate promised to bring the troops home from VietNam...DIDN'T HAPPEN! That war raged on for another eight years.

What is Hillary doing NOW as a Senator (even though as her supporters like to point out she is a JUNIOR senator)? Has she put forth any legislation or co-sponsored any legislation to bring the troops home NOW? Where does she stand on continued funding of the war?

Blood is on the hands of both corporate parties!

Actions not words!

[Zhade]

38. If it's not your first priority, I'm not interested. I don't trust you.

NT!

[qwlauren35]

41. Rhetoric and empty promises...

Mentally and physically disabled vets are already entitled to treatment. The problems seem to lie in the subjectiveness of the classification, the speed of the classification, and the ability to access treatment.

If it were possible to give ALL veterans health care for life, I would support it, because it would be less likely that those misclassified would suffer.

As for "bringing back the troops"... I believe every Democratic candidate is expected to do this.

I am interested in seeing how she will address employment issues as jobs continue to be shipped overseas, and we have a permanent "underclass" who work under the table for low wages. Sadly, the US military is one of America's larger employers these days.

I know I'm being a jerk here, but I just need to blow off steam. Maybe it's normal for candidates to announce in January, the minute the new Senate goes into session, but I honestly believe that the energy being spent on the candidates has diverted efforts from bolstering the Senate inquiries that could topple the current administration.

[Fire Walk With Me]

42. Too little, too late. Hillary could have started legal proceedings before this many soldiers died.

This is not a topic one merely tacks on to their campaign at some point. If it's popularity-seeking due to recent polls suggesting that more than half the country wants the troops brought back, then she's too easily bought by opinion, and would thus force us to show unity on any important subject prior to accepting it and acting.

Much less the impeachment of the entire Bush regime...stop the source of the problem, stop the problem.

[TrogL]

44. I've got her campaign song figured out

"Bring the boys home" from Pink Floyd's The Wall.

A few other songs from that album might be appropriate as well.

[superconnected]

48. *yawn*, more lip service

Kind of sucks we now get it from pelosi and hillary.