Hillary Turns Up Heat, Threatens to 'Obliterate' Iran

[katty]

more: http://www.alternet.org/election08/83291/

Hillary Turns Up Heat, Threatens to 'Obliterate' Iran

By Robert Scheer, Truthdig. Posted April 23, 2008.


How proud the Clintonistas must be. They have learned how to rival what Hillary once termed the "vast right-wing conspiracy" in the effort to destroy a viable Democratic leader who dares to stand in the way of their ambitions. The tactics used to kneecap Barack Obama are the same as had been turned on Bill Clinton in earlier times, from radical-baiting associates to challenging his resolve in protecting the nation from foreign enemies. Sen. Clinton's eminently sensible and centrist -- to a fault -- opponent is now viewed as weak and even vaguely unpatriotic because he is thoughtful. Neither Karl Rove nor Dick Morris could have done a better job.

On primary election day in Pennsylvania, even with polls showing her well ahead in that state, Hillary went lower in her grab for votes. Seizing upon a question as to how she would respond to a nuclear attack by Iran, which doesn't have nuclear weapons, on Israel, which does, Hillary mocked reasoned discourse by promising to "totally obliterate them," in an apparent reference to the population of Iran. That is not a word gaffe; it is an assertion of the right of our nation to commit genocide on an unprecedented scale.

[iamjoy]

1. Oh, Chill

I don't really believe Hillary Clinton endorses genocide. No, her statements about obliterating Iran are two things:

1) an attempt to appeal to Jewish and Evangelical voters by showing them what a stalwart defender of Israel she is
2) a page out of the Cold War handbook, in which M.A.D. (mutually assured destruction) was used as a deterence to nuclear attacks.

In other words, she's just trying to look tough. Sadly, more Americans like this sort of thing than listening to reason. They don't believe dialogue and diplomacy alone can contain Ahmadinejad.