Romney: "I think Hillary Clinton did the nation a big favor"

[sabra]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337048,00.html#

<snip>

ROMNEY: Yes, I think it will come down to the red phone. I think Hillary Clinton did the nation a big favor by reminded us of the significance of being the president of the United States.

And whether it is foreign policy, war, or our economy, people are going to recognize that you do what an inspirational speaker to motivate us from time to time, but the president of United States has to be a personal action, not just a person of words.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Mission accomplished, Monster. I will never vote for you.

:puke:

[Kokonoe]

14. I'm afraid of monsters and now I'm afraid of the phone?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

60. what? Is this an endorsement from Romney?

man!!!!

[Kokonoe]

68. No, Im afraid of Clinton answering the phone.

Do you think Romney still as a chance.

[CreekDog]

113. She is not a monster

As far as I know.

[soleft]

2. Grrrrrrrr!

:mad:

[Cali_Democrat]

3. Now I'm really pissed!!!!!

:mad:

[scheming daemons]

4. Well.. she did John McCain a favor...... but they're BFF, so.... what do you expect?

..

[Debi]

5. And all Democrats should take Mitt Romney's advice?!

Why is it that so many republicans want to run against Clinton and not Obama? :shrug:

[susankh4]

86. They don't

that's just the point of this "endorsement."

[Froward69]

115. Hey Debi,

:hi: You are spot on... Republicans see Hillary as a "weaker" candiate as they have a thick dossier on her. Obama is their Nightmare. as they have nothing.

You and I and all Democrats know how racist the GOP really is... thus they are afraid of exposing themselves. (aside from mens rooms at airports. :sarcasm: )
It is a shame that is not apparent to many others. :shrug:

[goldcanyonaz]

6. I take national security very seriously, like the majority of America.

I'm not in the majority on this forum, but this forum doesn't represent the majority of our great nation.

[scheming daemons]

11. ...and because of that, you should be voting for John McCain in November.....

[bigtree]

19. vote for judgment AND experience

vote Hillary Clinton.

Shame on you for portraying McCain as a better choice.

[TwilightGardener]

Judgment!!!

:rofl:

[clevbot]

25. I KNOW LOLOL

[bigtree]

37. He pulled his punches for Kerry, at the 2004 convention, who had cast the identical Iraq vote

. . . as Clinton. "What would I have done?" he responded when asked about that vote. "I don't know," Obama told the New York Times.

Obama never spoke out in any overt way against the occupation when he got in to the Senate. In June of 2006, Obama voted against a proposal by Sen. John Kerry to remove most troops from Iraq within a year, calling it an "arbitrary deadline" that could "compound" previous US missteps there.

Obama gave his first major speech about Iraq as a member of the Senate in November 2005, 11 months into his term. He didn't introduce legislation to end the war until last January, when he was exploring a run for president.

He first voted against funding for the war in May 2007, after he had declared his candidacy for president.

Not exactly the opposition he pretends in this campaign..

[sabra]

48. please watch this vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhpKmQCCwB8

[bigtree]

56. I have dial-up and these 'vids' do me no good at all.

[sabra]

77. hmm... you say all he did was give a speech and I send you a video

showing him @ anti-war rally before the invasion, and saying he would have not voted for the war during a 2004 interview with Leher.

[krkaufman]

116. "pulled his punches at 2004 convention"

Some Democrats do try to support their own Party's candidates over the opposition.

[bigtree]

28. same as Obama's on Iraq

except for a speech he made in 2002

[TwilightGardener]

30. That "speech" was his correct position, much as you want to minimize it.

[bigtree]

42. who knows HOW Obama may have voted if he had the actual responsibility

. . . as a U.S. senator?

Besides that one speech (which he's really good at) Obama failed the test on Iraq

I don't happen to think a speech made from the safe position of a state legislator seat in a liberal district is any match for having the actual responsibility for that vote. Obama's blurring of that distinction between having the responsibility and making an opportunistic speech is dishonest and self-serving.

[TwilightGardener]

47. "Failed the test"? Failing the test is voting for the war, NOT voting to

fund it later. Funding isn't support of the war, it's a necessary evil until the war is ended by OTHER, better means.

[bigtree]

54. no. That test was voting to fund the occupation. That's what enabled Bush to remain

Mobilizing and deploying troops was already in his 'power' under a loophole in the War Powers Act which allowed him to deploy troops for a time without prior congressional approval. The first $87 billion 'emergency' funding bill was the first vote Congress actually had which encompassed what is their ONLY significant ability to manage these opportunistic deployments presidents have made for DECADES without prior congressional approval; power over the purse.

[TwilightGardener]

58. Bullshit. Funding was going to happen no matter what, once the conflict

was in full swing. Defunding is not, and was never, a viable or desirable option to end the war, and it's disingenuous to blame Obama for voting to fund. Many, many smart anti-war Senators vote to fund, because defunding can have unintended, and possibly disastrous, consequences. My own Senator, Hagel, is openly dedicated to bringing Iraq to an end (basically gave up his political career for it), and has said publicly that defunding is a place he will not go, because it would be a disaster. And Hillary voted to fund as well, so even if you try to use this rationale, he's still better than her on this issue.

[RazBerryBeret]

67. It's the fact that

If you go back and look at the transcript of his speech against the war and the interviews that followed, you will see that everything he predicted would happen HAS happened. I call that foresight and judgement. he didn't believe that we'd be there for a few weeks, that they'd love us, that it would be easy and cheap to accomplish.

He was heavily criticized, but as it turns out should be applauded for his accurate thinking and judgement. I wish those interviews would get more air time today...

[Cha]

87. You rang Raz?..

<snip>

Barack Obama- Oct 2002

"What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income - to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics. Now let me be clear - I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied UN resolutions, thwarted UN inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity. He's a bad guy. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.

But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.

So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the President today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings. You want a fight, President Bush?"

<continued>
http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php

No wonder karl rove doesn't like Obama and must just love little hilary using his psycho babble ops.

[RazBerryBeret]

100. Bingo Zidzi!!

You Rock!

[Cha]

105. Thanks for all your activism for our

country. :hi:

[Lucinda]

46. But he has done NOTHING about the war since that speech except vote to fund it..

It's just a talking point.

[TwilightGardener]

52. Defunding was not going to happen, for a host of good reasons. Get over it.

[Lucinda]

64. It's not about defunding. No floor speeches, no press conferences, no

grassroots "Stop the war" efforts. He's done nothing.

[TwilightGardener]

75. Well, I don't think he took office purely as an anti-war crusader.

I think he just thought it was a bad idea, and said so, but he's not a devoted peacenik. He didn't go into the Senate to showboat on one issue, and he couldn't do much about the war anyway, as a freshman. He's not a Feingold, tilting at windmills despite Senate reality--the reality was, GOPers were in charge and set the agenda. When the Dems took control last year, they got vocal and began legislation to end it, and Obama did the same. There is a time and a season for everything. Doesn't change the fact that his initial judgment proved correct.

[Lucinda]

82. He is using it as a centerpiece of his campaign. HE was right and they were

wrong so his judgement is better. His speech was 2002. It's now 2008. ALL those years without even a single floor speech in protest. Why? Other have spoken about it from the beginning...he hasn't.

It's a campaign tactic. Something that could be used against everyone running except for DK. Unless of course, you think that he's the kind of man who would believe something that strongly but not do anything to try and change it in all those years.

[TwilightGardener]

84. His judgment was superior. Wouldn't you use that to make a distinction

between yourself and your opponents, who did the wrong thing? Of COURSE it's a campaign tactic! He's a politician. Sheesh.

[Lucinda]

88. I agree, it's an excellent talking point. But that's all it really is. A talking point.

[TwilightGardener]

93. It's a talking point, but also a part of his political history. Good for him.

[Lucinda]

95. It's not really good for him though. He can't back it up. So as long as tehe details

are glossed over, it works for him. If the media decides to point out his actual record, it would turn into a negative in a heartbeat.

So far so good though.

[TwilightGardener]

96. I don't think so. I don't think the average voter who wants the war

to end will ever see him as anything but a man who publicly exercised good judgment when the moment came, and who is serious about bringing an end to the occupation, no matter how many speeches or protests he DIDN'T give over the last few years--because again, it's all relative. Compared to Hillary and McCain, and Obama simply shines brighter on this issue.

[Lucinda]

97. We'll see. I think it's a big stick for McCain if Obama is the nom.

[TwilightGardener]

99. I doubt it. And the REAL big stick is accusing Hillary of being FOR the war,

until it turned unpopular, and then she was AGAINST it--whereas he, McCain, always stood strong on it no matter what the polls said. That'll be his argument. Ouch.

[Lucinda]

101. I agree with Mario Cuomo comments about Hillary v McCain

He said McCain can't really hit her there. She's on the Armed Services Committee, she voted, she funded, and the majority of the country shares her opinion that it's time to go home responsibly now.

All McCain can do with Obama is show that he has conflicting statements about going in, and talk about Obama not backing his words with deeds. A little more traction here.

Either candidate is defendable by Dems, one is more problematic than the other though.

[boppers]

114. "ALL those years without even a single floor speech in protest"

Bzzt! Wrong.

Floor speech the first year in office.

Memo to Hillary: Lies and distortions are why you lost this race.

Oh, and you're right about Kucinich. I sooooo want to see him appointed as Secretary of Defense, just to watch rethug heads explode in mass panic when they hear the news.

[TwilightGardener]

53. And BTW, what has Hillary done to end the war, until the Surrrge?

[bigtree]

55. but, we're comparing the actions of the two, not looking at Clinton in isolation.

[TwilightGardener]

59. Right. Obama was right on the war, and they both recognize

that defunding is not a good way to force us out of Iraq. Net gain for Obama.

[krkaufman]

117. Then the biggest point of contrast is Obama's speaking-out publicly against the war ...

... when 70% of the public supported the invasion, while Clinton voted to give Bush "a blank check to go to war", according to one of her own advisors.

[Lucinda]

62. This isnt about Hillary. This is about Obama trumpeting his being right on day one

and doing absolutely nothing to stop the war. Not a floor speech in protest even though he had to fund, not a press conference. Nothing. It's all talk.

[TwilightGardener]

76. Please, that's disingenuous--it's always a comparison between the

two. He showed prescience and good judgment, she blamed GWB and lied about being "duped" and voting for inspections, and vocally supported the war until it turned into a disadvantage to do so. So even if Obama is "all talk" (which is really most of what Senators do), his "talk" certainly makes more sense to me than Hillary's.

[Lucinda]

85. This isn't about Hillary.Obama gave one speech in 2002. It's 2008 now. And he's done nothing.

Hillary's floor speech clearly sets out her feeling on that day. Was she foolish to trust Bush? Yes. The little twit had stolen an election. But she believed she was making the best decision at the time. I don't like her choice, but I understand it.

Obama is using a political talking point to try and win an election. I don't like that either, but I understand it as well.

[sabra]

40. just a speech and and anti war rallies and speaking up at interviews...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhpKmQCCwB8

[polpilot]

41. Bad judgment is STILL judgment. Don't split hairs here.

He didn't say 'good judgment'...like what is the definition of just 'judgment' 'I did not have 'judgment' with that resolution'.

[bigtree]

45. the poster is talking about the choice between McCain and Clinton

no contest on judgment between the two

[JackORoses]

89. Vote for War, Vote for Cluster Bombs, Vote for Bankruptcy

Vote McHillary!

[eissa]

16. What makes you think we don't?

I'm an Obama supporter and I most definitely take national security seriously. This kind of republican talking point of dems not taking this issue seriously is ridiculous.

[Kokonoe]

20. But the majority of this nation back Obama.

[Carrieyazel]

70. If that were the case, then this election should be a slam dunk, right?

I doubt it. Right now he's polling at 45-48% according to some polls I've seen. He is close.

[Kokonoe]

91. He already won, get over it.

[cottonseed]

21. What exactly do you mean by that?

What national security threats do you believe Hillary or McCain are better equipped to handle than Obama?

[polpilot]

22. Pro-War, Pro-NAFTA Hillary has been front & center is destroying economic security and national

security. Bush, Sr.'s golf buddy Bill and Hill...now that's real change. It's been great for America that these two came outta them thar hills of Arkansas.

[clevbot]

24. oh really!

Well i am an Obama supporter and I take national security seriously. I think Obama judgement if far superior than Hillary's, just look at how he's run his campaign. On the other hand, since you are Hillary supporter, you don't see what's happening right now. I believe that Romney will be McCain VP. Why? Because know Hillary has been saying that she and McCain have a lifetime of experience, WHICH SHE DOESN'T and will lose on that issue to McCain. Romney will be the ECONOMIC experience... and what do the Dem's have... A split rfuckin party... GREAT

[NDambi]

35. I take Nat'l Security serioulys too..but what Hillary did was inexcusable

[progressoid]

39. The majority of Americans are dumbasses.

nuff said.

[Armstead]

79. Oh Pulllleeze.....Yes, we all want to die

What a dopey thing to say.

I suppose you think the Iraq War has made you and the US safer?

[Beacool]

112. Thank God for that!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[Political Heretic]

7. Hillary Clinton really shot the Democratic Party in the face.

She ought to be ashamed of herself.

[grantcart]

50. I wonder if the Liberal Party in New York is considering who they

can run against her for a Senate campaign.

[BeyondGeography]

8. Oh, the sanctimony!

:eyes:

[Bullet1987]

9. She did a favor for the GOP in validating their ability to race-bait Obama

and her pseudo-endorsement of John McCain.

[Not the Only One]

10. So we learn that Hillary worked the night shift as a GOP operative.

I wonder if Rove pays her well.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

102. I'm seriously thinking the same thing. How else to explain it?

[cottonseed]

12. Mitt don't know #%$@

It would be nice to use this as a little poke at Hillary, but this is actually the debate I'm sure Obama will like to have with McCain. Have we heard the guy on the campaign trail lately? He can't make a compelling case for any of his positions anymore. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to move forward. Being scared is just a real downer.

[NDambi]

38. MCSame doesn't scare me either...

[blogslut]

13. Ms. Clinton sure has interesting defenders

n/t

[polpilot]

27. They're called 'newbies'.

[bigtree]

15. sure. because, lord knows, only republicans give a damn about choosing an experienced CIC

:eyes:

[rucky]

17. The gift that keeps on giving. n/t

[rox63]

18. Great - now Mittens has joined Hillary's cheering squad

:puke:

[paperbag_ princess]

23. sorry you don't like it -but it is true

Some people are not qualified to be president. I am one of the ones who happens to believe that Obama is not ready. I don't have any dislike for him...I like him very much. It is very true though that the president has to know what they are doing.

Obama may have enough experience for you as an Obama supporter...but that does not mean that he meets the expectations of others.

[Skip Intro]

29. oh, dont interrupt them in the midst of their Hillary-bashing...

God knows they dont get to do it often enough...

:sarcasm:

[polpilot]

34. It's evident that Hillary supporters are pro-Iraq war...pro-Iran war

and it's O.K. Vote pro-war...just face it.

[Skip Intro]

51. Can you back that up. Hell, last night Hillary supporters were all bigots, now we are pro-war.

And the Obots scream that Hillary is tearing the party apart. Wtf do you think you are doing by calling Hillary supporters warmongers? Is that the unity or the hope talking? Or are you just another Obama hypocrite, waving a banner of change with one hand while wielding a dagger of hate with the other?

[Voice for Peace]

33. Can you be very specific about what it is you think he is not ready to do

and what precisely 'readiness' means?

This is an earnest request.. please be detailed & specific. I am trying to
understand your point of view.

[paperbag_ princess]

90. sure

I think it is going to be different for every voter...and a lot of it is perception...but I will explain my point of view.

I want to believe that my president knows what they are doing and has had experience making the kinds of neccessary decisions. I know that part of gaining experience is making mistakes. I want to know that if someone makes a mistake then they will recognize it and get back on course. Hillary has met that standard for me. I don't think that either nominee will be mistake free in this presidency...I think that is impossible.

I am convinced that Obama intentionally kept his record clean as a senator knowing that he was running for the nomination. While this makes it seem that he has "good judgment"...I just see it has evasion. I am not convinced that he would not have voted for the IWR had he been there...based on his own words.

I believe that Hillary's time as first lady is experience. When Bill won, they made it very clear that she was going to have a big role. They took a lot of criticism for that.

I think she has enough experience to deal with the presidency because she has seen it first hand and feels comfortable working within the Washington system.

Obama is asking me to believe that he can change Washington. I just think that is naive and it proves to me that he really does not know what he is getting into. He is brilliant and talented...no doubt. I would feel more comfortable though if he was a senator for longer and actually put up some real votes and did some real work...or had spent time as a governor...or a vice president.

[Voice for Peace]

109. Thanks very much for taking the time to respond.

I think this thread is sinking so I won't continue discussion here
but if at any point you are interested in my thoughts or responses
feel free to send me a private message.
May the best candidate win for the good of all of us.

[earthlover]

36. Hillary has made it easier for the Reps

And her actions and words will be used against HER as well as Obama.

Hillary totally blew the IWR. That shows poor judgement. Obama's judgement was much better here.

But you don't see OBama saying this means Hillary is not qualified to be commander in chief or worse than McCain. There IS a difference between making your case and going negative.

Hillary could have tried to make a case for her foreign policy strengths. Instead she threw the kitchen sink at Obama.

[NDambi]

43. That's exactly how I see the hillster...riding on the coattails of hubby.pushing foreign experience

she doesn't have...and completely and totally inept at running and managing her "inevitable, multi-million dollar" campaign...

[peacebaby3]

65. Rumsfeld and Cheney have lots of experience also. n/t

[paperbag_ princess]

92. so does McCain

experience isn't the only qualifier....You have to judge whether or not that person actually will lead in the direction you think that we should go.

Hillary has said over and over that McCain will lead us in the same wrong direction as Bush/Cheney
I of course agree with her.

[peacebaby3]

106. My point exactly. So why should I vote for Clinton over Obama based

on her experience when I believe that she will not lead our country in the direction that it should go? Is she better than McCain? Probably, but she certainly isn't the best candidate in my opinion.

[Indenturedebtor]

74. But Hillary does because? Why?

How does she have more experience exactly? My wife is Program Coordinator for a genomics department here at the university. She's doing her own research, does a lot of the grant proposal writing, helps with budgets, etc etc etc.

I go to work parties with her. I talk to her coworkers and her boss. I talk to her about her job every single night. I have picked up a few details about what she does and how she does it.

But I can't list her experience on a resume can I? Would you hire someone based on what their spouse does for a living? Seriously? I think not.

"Oh hey you're on trial for murder? Well I'm not a lawyer but I sleep with one every night."

Gimme a break.

[paperbag_ princess]

98. You are rewriting history

The Clinton's went into the While House saying that Hillary would have a prominent role in the administration unlike First Ladies before her. They took a lot of criticism for it..with people raving and ranting that they never voted for her.

When GW was "elected," he and Laura said that they would return the First Lady position to the traditional role...and the Republicans all said "Hooray!"

[Hepburn]

26. 5th Rec....

...how disgusting of Hillary to make sure the Pubbies have a HUGE talking point.

Thanks, Hillary...you fucking, self-centered bitch! :grr:

[RaleighNCDUer]

71. I agree, but please lay off the name-calling.

It doesn't help Obama, and it hardens the opposition.

[NeedleCast]

31. Maybe she can put Mitt's endoresment on her webpage

Got room now that she took Spitzer off.

[SeaLyons]

32. Posted by a true blue FOX News Watcher

[sabra]

44. huh?

[RaleighNCDUer]

49. Now THERE'S an endorsement that I'm sure she wanted.

LOL.

[invictus]

57. Hillary is the Republicans' "Democrat," just like Lieberman. n/t

[opihimoimoi]

61. An we all know how important the phone is to Shrub...he went back to SLEEP

Never a question re the wrnings prior to 9/11

Never a peep re Katrina at the pre hit meeting w Brownie

Never a worry about our troops

Never a thought about our Poor

Never a concern about our National Debt/deficit

Always on Vacation...

Fuck the Phone, McShame wouldn't know what to do....Strong on National Sec my ass

He is McBush...same fuckin thing...more of the same shit

[bigbrother05]

63. Well, I for one feel safer, thanks Mittens

you just supported a commercial, so therefore that makes Hillary the winner of a Repug. endorsement.
Man the intelligent level is so low, it's embarrassing.

[redqueen]

66. Thanks, Clinton campaign. Great fucking job.

:grr:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

69. Romne wants her to win because the GOP know they can beat her

[exsoccermom]

73. How would Obama vote on Iraq?

Yes, we know that Obama was not in the Senate in 2002--2003 in the run up to Iraq, but maybe there is something in his voting record that shows what he would have done? Bingo! (that was easy): He would not have been there!
10/3/07 Vote 362: H R 3222: Feingold Amdt. No. 3164; To safely redeploy United States troops from Iraq. Not Voting (one of the 40+% of all votes in the 110th Congress that he missed). Hillary was there and did vote with the Democratic Party.

[Araxen]

72. Hillary in bed with the repubs

I knew it!!!

[book_worm]

78. Romney likes her tactics too! The GOP is loving her campaign.

[Cha]

80. You know you're in when mitt the shit..

compliments your rovian ass. Fuck you, hilary..you dullard.

[Catherine Vincent]

81. If Bush was in there for 8 years, anybody is capable of handling the red phone.

That should be the answer from you Obama supporters instead of all the namecalling.

[clevbot]

83. good call.

[walldude]

103. Tried that.. was accused of saying Hillary is as bad as George Bush

You know as well as I do that things are bad on both sides and they are probably mostly trolls. I just hope when the smoke clears and the nominee is chosen we can come together to defeat McCain.

[workinclasszero]

94. Hillary & Romney & McCain

Joined at the hip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsYWiywdCA&feature=related

Hillary is a monster of republican proportions.

[Medusa]

104. The GOP are salivating over the prospect of Hillary as the Dem Nominee

they know that she is the only person who can galvanize their base to turn out and vote--they hate, loathe, and depise the Clinton's which could explain why her popularity ratings can't get above 50%. UNELECTABLE people, she's unelectable.

[Occam Bandage]

107. Congratulations on spinning this race towards Republican issues, Hillary.

[anonymous171]

108. First McCain, now ROMNEY!? Everyone is parroting Hillary now. Is she really a dem?

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

[Raine]

110. Hillary...the reTHUGS best hope for 2008

x(

[eridani]

111. She did the Rethugs a big favor

--by using their framing.