Edwards: Clinton will continue war in Iraq

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: October 3, 2007
Edwards: Clinton will continue war in Iraq

WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House hopeful John Edwards continued to draw distinctions between his stance on Iraq and that of rival Hillary Clinton, claiming Wednesday the New York Democrat does not intend to end the war.

"A week ago Sunday, Hillary Clinton said that she would continue to conduct combat missions in Iraq," Edwards said during a forum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. "If you're not ending combat operations, you're not ending the war."

"The debate I expect to have next fall with Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani or whoever’s the Republican nominee is whether or not to end this war," Edwards continued. "But the debate Sen. Clinton would be in is how big a war you’re going to have."

Clinton said she supports a phased redeployment of troops from Iraq but would leave a small number in the country to carry out combat missions against Al-Qaeda members.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/03/edwards-clinton-will-continue-war-in-iraq/

[Ken Burch]

1. And the response from her supporters will undoubtably be something this:

"She's ahead in the polls. That's all that matters. Obey, peasant scum!"

In other words, the message board equivalent of mooning.

[superkia]

9. You left out and if you dont support her you are not a democrat?

No matter what a candidate stands for or doesn't stand for we must support them if they have a D in front of their name? That is what I see around here allot and I think its dangerous to be that blind and only see the letter and not the substance and agenda of the candidate.

I am a Kucinich supporter but I will gladly vote for Obama, Edwards or Biden. Clinton, well thats a road I will cross if I am forced to come to it.

[sniffa]

19. you're aLso a sexist pig

who fears strong women.

[Ken Burch]

23. And the weird thing is, they will sometimes use that line on posters

who ARE strong women.

The only point where gender really becomes an issue here is the suspicion that some may have that HRC will feel obligated, once elected, to either stay in Iraq, bomb Iran, or overthrow democracy in Venezuela just to prove that she's "tougher than ANY man".

It's sickening that our party's leaders still drink the "strength means war after war after war" koolaid.

Even though they know that once a Democratic adminstration goes to war, in policy terms it always stops BEING a Democratic administration. This was justified when FDR did it(our survival in question)but not Truman in Korea(since we know as our leaders knew then that that conflict served no purpose) nor LBJ in Vietnam.

It is THIS tradition our party must break from if it is to avoid permanently reducing itself to the status of "America's SECOND conservative party". The voters of our country don't want elections that don't matter.

[paulk]

27. do you make any posts that aren't strawmen?

just curious...

[msongs]

2. dear John Edwards, it is an OCCUPATION not a WAR. Stop using repub frames nt

[IndianaGreen]

5. "An occupation?" Like Israel's occupation of Palestine?

That is a war against the Palestinian people, and the American occupation of Iraq (which has been ongoing since Saddam's statue was toppled on Firdos Square) is still a war.

Nice to see Hillaristas use the Orwellian newspeak like the Bush regime.

[GreenArrow]

26. 'twas a war of agression

which Edwards was a gung-ho supporter of, and in which he now finds more profit in criticizing his opponents from the sidelines for not cleaning up the mess he helped create to his satisfaction. Whether in Iraq, or in Palestine, Edward's foreign policy will not be markedly different than Hillary's. One will tell you nothing solid, the other will tell you what you want to hear, but niether will do anything to jeopardize our strategic interests in the region.

Yes, our invasion and occupation of Iraq were illegal, and if anyone had the wherewithal to enforce it, would be responded to as such by the world community. "Who will bell the cat"?

Not only has this last operation been purely a campaign for power and plunder, but Gulf War I was every bit as much trumped up, manufactured, and otherwise unnecessary.

[IndianaGreen]

32. And Saddam did ask US Ambassador April Glaspy for permission to invade Kuwait

and she told him that the US was not concerned about Iraq-Kuwait disputes.

[GreenArrow]

34. because Kuwait

was slant drilling into Iraq's oilfields. In other words, stealing their oil.

[illinoisprogressive]

3. Edwards is right. And those she pulls she will put in with her war with Iran

[IndianaGreen]

4. I don't need Edwards to tell me this, Hillary said so herself: Four more years of war!

Hillary will also support an attack on Iran because that's what AIPAC wants.

[USA_1]

6. Yup --- more war

... aren't you glad we don't have a draft?

[ShortnFiery]

7. Kick as a counter to the "light hearted" warmonger, HRC.

:crazy:

[Major Hogwash]

8. Hillary thinks the war in Iraq can still be won. She is delusional. Edwards is right about her.

There is no way we can "win" in Iraq. But, Bill and Hillary think that we can still "win" in Iraq. They are so full of hot air it isn't even funny. There is no way we can "win" the war in Iraq. There is no way to "win" it.

I will never vote for her. She has had years to change her opinion about invading Iraq, instead she continues to go down the same road of destruction as George Bush.

[Ken Burch]

12. Her campaign strategists and her foreign policy advisors still listen to people

like the "LBJ alumni association" wing of the DLC-People like Ben Wattenberg
(Mr "I know what the Real America is and you pinko bastards don't himself). We have to break her people of that habit somehow.
People who STILL think we coulda won in Vietnam if only the peaceniks had shut up for a coupla more years are not people who should be advising a DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate.

[Nutmegger]

10. R&K for Edwards...

:thumbsup::kick:

[Quixote1818]

11. Not a Hillary Fan, but I don't buy what Edwards said here

That is not her stance and I don't know why she would do a 180 on what she says she is going to do.

I suspect Hillary will start withdrawing troops over a period of time until there are just a few left to protect the Embassy. She and Clark will wheel and deal until they can improve political progress but the troops will continue to come out.

[IndianaGreen]

14. In the Tim Russert debate, Hillary said she will keep combat troops in Iraq until 2013

As to our embassy in Iraq, that $1 billion monster the size of Vatican city, it should be replaced by a more modest building.

[FrenchieCat]

15. But I understood that Edwards basically agreed with Clinton and Obama on this....

Couldn't say it would be over in 2013......

So how is he better again? :shrug:

[Alamom]

16. All three said the same and gave the same reasons.......nm

[Adelante]

17. Dems Can't Make Guarantee on Iraq Troops

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — The leading Democratic White House hopefuls conceded Wednesday night they cannot guarantee to pull all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the next presidential term in 2013.

"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first primary state.

"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iySWjciIrjB8hbu450lIABfnYcjw

[Imagevision]

13. Hillary, you're either with her or against her, my or the highway... sound familiar?

[Adelante]

18. Edwards is stretching it

From the OP:

"A week ago Sunday, Hillary Clinton said that she would continue to conduct combat missions in Iraq," Edwards said during a forum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. "If you're not ending combat operations, you're not ending the war."

A week ago Sunday:

Edwards sought to draw a distinction between his position and Clinton's, saying she had said recently she wants to continue combat missions in Iraq.

"I do not want to continue combat missions in Iraq," he said.

Clinton responded quickly, saying Edwards had misstated her position. She said she favors the continued deployment of counterterrorism troops, not forces to engage in the type of combat now under way.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iySWjciIrjB8hbu450lIABfnYcjw

[Ninga]

20. Edwards was very clear in the debate. He will draw down COMBAT troops, and all that will remain

will be peacekeeping forces to protect the Embassy and humanitarian workers.

[Adelante]

22. Who's going to protect the peacekeeping forces?

US combat troops brought in from Kuwait where Edwards has them parked. Because there will be no peace to keep possibly for years to come. Everybody understands that.

[SaveElmer]

21. Wow...Edwards not being truthful...

What next?

[Hieronymus]

24. I heard Edwards on Wolf Blitzer. where he said the same thing. Edwards

would leave troops to guard our embassy as happens at every embassy. Hillary will continue combat missions.

[paulk]

25. tough words from the guy who helped write the IWR

can someone explain to me why I should afford this guy any credibility here?

[Cameron27]

29. He talked tough back then too,

unfortunately it was on the opposite side of the issue.

[ChiciB1]

30. Enough Already... Sorry For Being Snide... But Hillary Is Getting Away

with almost EVERYTHING and she has even gone further regarding Iran!!!

[Cameron27]

31. Hillary's been called on everything that comes out of her mouth!

Enough already?

[ChiciB1]

28. Just So I Can Come Back Later As I'm Seriously Pressed For Time

right now! Let me HOLLER.... Go, Johnny, Go! I'm still here and I'm spreading the word! Talked to several neighbors today, two Lesbians among the bunch and I actually got them to UNDERSTAND my views about Hillary!

So, I KNOW I got two of them!!

[defendandprotect]

33. Clinton was originally talking about keeping 18,000 troops in Iraq --

We should be talking about bringing our troops home from all over the world !!!