Hillary won't commit on Feingold. Obama supports it and would vote for it as a substantive measure.

[flpoljunkie]

May 17, 2007

What's the significance of this potential difference between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on Feingold-Reid?

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., indicated Wednesday that her cloture vote in favor of a Feingold amendment which would cut off funding for major combat operations in Iraq after March 31, 2008 was not tantamount to supporting the underlying legislation.

“I am not going to speculate on what I am going to be voting on in the future,” Clinton told ABC News in a follow-up to a question posed by the New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny. “I voted in favor of cloture to have a debate, we weren’t successful. . . So I will take the votes as they come. . . You know, if we were making progress, if I thought the Iraqi’s were ready to make the tough decisions, you might have seen a different vote. I don’t see that.”

Going forward, look for the Dodd campaign (out in the open) and the Obama campaign (more quietly) to use Clinton’s Wednesday straddle on the issue to curry favor with ardent opponents of the Iraq war.

“We're as confused as anyone on Senator Clinton’s position,” Dodd spokeswoman Christy Setzer told ABC News, “and frankly it's hard to know whether it's indecision, miscommunication, or simple word games and political gamesmanship we're dealing with.”

The more restrained Bill Burton of the Obama campaign passed on the chance to criticize the former first lady while affirming Obama’s support not only for cloture on the Feingold amendment but also for the underlying policy of cutting off funding for major combat operations after March 31, 2008.

“It has been Obama’s position that he supports the Reid-Feingold measure and he would vote for it” as a substantive measure, Burton tells ABC News.

Posted at 11:45 AM

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/05/some_curiositie.html

[TwilightGardener]

1. Hillary, hangin' on to her hawk edge for the general.

[Bitwit1234]

2. How come you didn't top post the fact that HILLARY VOTED FOR THE BILL.

Shame. If you are for Obama fine. But why do you continue to knock Hillary for something she didn't do.

[William769]

8. It's all they have, and it isn't much.

Shame tough I was looking forward to a good primary season.

[flpoljunkie]

10. I also didn't say Obama voted for Feingold yesterday either. That is the past.

Perhaps you ought to read the post more carefully.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Read the post. It says very plainly Hillary voted for cloture on Feingold amendment yesterday.

"Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., indicated Wednesday that her cloture vote in favor of a Feingold amendment which would cut off funding for major combat operations in Iraq after March 31, 2008 was not tantamount to supporting the underlying legislation."

[Colobo]

3. Good for Obama.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

4. Dodd the only true leader among them all

since he originally co-sponsored the damned thing.

[Tellurian]

5. It was also Obama that announced on tv Congress won't play Chicken with Bush..

and will continue funding the war!

yeah, thanks, Obama- you're a BIG Help!

[flpoljunkie]

13. The occupation will be funded, as long as the troops are deployed in Iraq. Dems do not have votes

to override a Bush veto. I do think the R's are getting very nervous, as the surge does not appear to be working. They will soon begin to come around to redeploying the troops out of Iraq.

[Ethelk2044]

18. He is making a stand. Hillary refuses to make one

because she does not have the guts to make a decision and stick to it.

[Tellurian]

30. Thats not a stand,, thats telling the enemy your game plan in advance..

unless, Obama is Bush's friend. Then thats a different barrel of catfish!

[AndyA]

6. This story alone puts Obama ahead of Hillary in my book.

They've been about even up until now, but Hillary's continued reluctance to TAKE A STAND AND STICK WITH IT is tiresome. I'm weary of politicians who change the story to suit the audience at any given time. Do they think we're all so stupid we can't remember when they said something else?

Good man, Barack. You just stepped out in front of Hillary in my book.

[Colobo]

7. Good for you, Andy.

[ccpup]

9. the more DUers try to play "gotcha"

against a candidate just to make "their" candidate look better, the more I lose interest in "their" candidate. Do I want to be affiliated with a candidate who has supporters on DU who play word games, willingly hold back pertinent information and willingly try to spread, at best, misinformation? No.

In fact, it could lead one to question their sincerity and look at any other information they offer about "their" candidate with guarded suspicion.

[flpoljunkie]

11. There was no information held back. Primaries are for vetting candidates, not singing Kumbaya.

Censorship is for Bushies and their ilk.

[ccpup]

15. wow

you went from what I posted to my wanting everyone to sing kumbaya and practice censorship. As I don't believe in either of those, I seriously doubt that that was what I wrote.

In fact, I'm just asking people to be a little more honest. Is that such a scary thing for you? When did honesty become censorship or toeing the line?

[flpoljunkie]

17. Tell me what was dishonest in the post.

[ccpup]

20. No

if you can't see how the Title of the OP was potentially misleading, then why would I waste time click-clacking away only to have you accuse me of wanting censorship or having everyone sing a rousing chorus of kumbaya?!

I've never said someone can't support Obama or Hillary or Dennis or John or (fill in the blank). All I want is for those who support their candidates to not play MSM with us. We get enough shading and innuendo on CNN/FOX/etc. I come to DU for the truth.

I'm not sure why this request -- impossible, it seems -- is making you angry.

[flpoljunkie]

22. The title was not misleading. Perhaps you need to learn to read more closely before you attack.

I am not angry--just puzzled by your posts.

[ccpup]

23. I apologize

I didn't intend it to be an attack. I just wonder why it's so hard for those who support their Candidates to be ... oh, forget it. I'm way past caring anymore. Obama. Hillary. who the fuck cares anymore. DU has soured me on them both. on the whole system, actually. With the poisoning of the well by DU and the "supporters" of candidates, I don't know that I'll ever vote again.

and this is coming from a lifelong democrat who's from a line of democrats going farther back than I can count. I'm just so over it. Thanks, DU.

[flpoljunkie]

25. Apology accepted. I enjoy the political process. It's what DU is about--a lot of give and take.

Don't leave DU, and please do not consider not voting. I come from a long line of Democrats, as well. Any one of our candidates would be far better than any Republican who may nominated.

If it gets to be too much for you, take a break. I do not mean to offend.

[ccpup]

26. no, you didn't offend

and I appreciate more than you know this breaking of the bread. I'm just continuously surprised at the level of mean-spiritedness hurled from camp to camp. I didn't know this was what DU was about. And I more than likely will vote, but will also strive to avoid candidate threads in the future. Too bad, though, as I believe they can be a wonderful source to educate oneself on where a candidate stands ... if one can trust the info and the OP giving it. And that's really what my original beef was about: honesty and accurate news.

Anyway, thanks for your kind words. I really appreciate them. :toast:

[Colobo]

12. Then you probably lost all interest in both Hillary and Obama

That's the game both camps have been playing since February.

[ccpup]

14. no, still wide open on the candidates.

I have lost interest in the petty political games played on DU, though. Oh well. Kids will be kids, I guess.

[hippiechick]

19. But neither of them ARE Feingold.

:patriot: Why aren't any of the candidates SPONSORING legislation like this? Out front of an issue, instead of waiting for opinion polls before they decide if they're going to support, ignore, or poo-poo a particular proposal?

DO SOMETHING, DAMMIT!

[flpoljunkie]

21. Feingold is a true patriot, and fearless, to boot!

[draft_mario_cuomo]

24. The only thing HRC is committed to is the pursuit of power

She won't decide which way to vote on a future bill until extensive polling and focus grouping tells her what she should do. It is funny how her "experience" is touted when all her major decisions are made by pollsters and consultants anyway.

[flpoljunkie]

28. Bill is spinning hard to help her, as well. He was on CNN's AC360 last night.

Notebook: Obama Counterattacks On The War

First -- why did Obama engage now? The Clintons have been saying this for a while.

Maybe it was what Ex-President Clinton said right after. The itals are ours.

COOPER: Are you surprised by the strength of Barack Obama's campaign?

CLINTON: No. No. Because in the beginning, there was this impression that he was the only one that was really against the president's policy in Iraq, which I don't think is accurate, but it nevertheless had some legs out there.

His voting record and Hillary's are almost identical, I think, on all the relevant issues. And also, he's just a very gifted man. I mean, he's an attractive, compelling charismatic guy who has not been in politics very long, therefore has not had the time to pick up the enemies that you pick up or at least opposition you pick up if you stay around and actually, you know, are in the fray and you're fighting to do things. And I think he's a very -- he's running a great campaign. So I'm not surprised.

We could see how Mr. Obama might find that patronizing.

Obama, who has made his 2002 opposition to the war a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, was asked this morning on MSNBC about comments made last night by former President Clinton, in which he said that Sens. Clinton and Obama have had similar voting records on the war.

"I suppose that's true if you leave out the fact that she authorized it, and supported it, and I said it was a bad idea," said Obama. "That's a fairly major difference."

While Obama has sought to draw this contrast with Clinton throughout the campaign, he has previously avoided making such a pointed criticism of his rival.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2007/05/notebook_obama_1.html

[flpoljunkie]

31. TPM now has the youtube video of Obama's comments on MSNBC this morning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x87XB01K7Fg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etpmcafe%2Ecom%2Fblog%2Felectioncentral%2F2007%2Fmay%2F17%2Fvideo%5Fof%5Fobamas%5Fslam%5Fof%5Fhillarys%5Fvote%5Ffor%5Fwar

[Imagevision]

27. Hil. is smart, she's playing it by ear - Brother Bill is playing the guiding light here...

[beachmom]

29. Good lord. Doesn't she know this will get her into trouble?

You can't have it both ways, Senator Clinton. Sigh.