THE DEMOCRATS’ RHETORIC VS. REALITY ON IRAQ
Sen. Clinton Claimed She Would Support Funding For The Troops:
“Clinton Said She ‘Of Course’ Eventually Will Support A Measure Paying For The Troops…” (Mike Glover, “Clinton Won’t Set Early Fund Restriction,” The Associated Press, 5/7/07)
Sen. Clinton Then Flip Flopped On Supporting Funding For Troops In Iraq:
Sen. Clinton Voted Against $70 Billion In Emergency Iraq Funding. (S. 2340, CQ Vote #410: Rejected 45-53: R 44-3; D 0-49; I 1-1, 11/16/07, Clinton Voted Nay)
Sen. Clinton Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Clinton Voted Nay)
Sen. Clinton Pandered To The Left To Retain The Support Of Ultra-Liberal Anti-War Groups. MoveOn.org Threatened Democrats Who Did Not Vote Against The War Funding Bill. “MoveOn.org, a leading antiwar group, rallied its 3.2 million members in an e-mail alert … that declared that ‘every single Democrat must oppose this bill.’ The group warned that it would consider backing primary challengers to Democrats who vote yes. Other organizations issued similar angry threats.” (Shailagh Murray, “Antiwar Groups Press Democrats To Vote Against Iraq Bill,” The Washington Post, 5/24/07)
- The Democrat Candidates Are Trying To “Outmaneuver” Each Other For Left-Wing Endorsements. “[C]linton and Obama as well as former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina have sought for months to outmaneuver one another in showcasing opposition to the war in hopes of gaining the support of groups such as MoveOn.org.” (David Espo, “Senate’s Iraq Vote Likely To Test Clinton, Obama,” The Associated Press, 5/15/07)
NOTE: Sen. Obama Has Also Flip Flopped On Troop Funding. “‘I think that nobody wants to play chicken with our troops on the ground,’ said Obama.” (Mike Glover, “Obama Says Congress Will Fund Iraq War After Expected Bush Veto,” The Associated Press, 4/1/07)
- Sen. Obama: “[W]hat you don’t want to do is to play chicken with the President, and create a situation in which, potentially, you don’t have body armor, you don’t have reinforced humvees, you don’t have night-vision goggles.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 4/1/07)
- Sen. Obama Then Voted Against The Iraq Supplemental Spending Bill. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)
Sen. Clinton Flipped On Supporting A Timetable For Withdrawal From Iraq:
Sen. Clinton: “I am not advocating a date certain and immediate withdrawal from Iraq.” (CNN “This Week At War,” 1/20/07)
Sen. Clinton: “Now it’s time to say the redeployment should start in 90 days or the Congress will revoke authorization for this war.” (CNN’s, “Your World Today,” 2/19/07)
NOTE: Sen. Obama Has Also Flipped On Supporting Timetables For Withdrawal. “Obama has a plan to immediately begin withdrawing our troops engaged in combat operations at a pace of one or two brigades every month, to be completed by the end of next year.” (Obama For President Website, http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/, Accessed 12/20/07)
- Obama On “Meet The Press” In January 2006: “My position has been that it would not be responsible for us to unilaterally and precipitously draw troops down regardless of the politics, because I think that all of us have a stake in seeing Iraq succeed. We need to get the policy right, and it’s inappropriate, I think, to have politics intrude at this point in such a critical stage in the development of the Middle East.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 1/22/06)
- Obama Warned Against “Precipitous Withdrawal … Driven By Congressional Edict.” Obama: “For all these reasons, I would like nothing more than to support the Kerry Amendment; to bring our brave troops home on a date certain, and spare the American people more pain, suffering and sorrow. But having visited Iraq, I’m also acutely aware that a precipitous withdrawal of our troops, driven by Congressional edict rather than the realities on the ground, will not undo the mistakes made by this Administration. It could compound them. It could compound them by plunging Iraq into an even deeper and, perhaps, irreparable crisis.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Congressional Record, p. S6233, 6/21/06)
- “Setting A Date Certain” Is Not “The Best Approach.” Obama: “But I do not believe that setting a date certain for the total withdrawal of U.S. troops is the best approach to achieving, in a methodical and responsible way, the three basic goals that should drive our Iraq policy: that is, (1) stabilizing Iraq and giving the factions within Iraq the space they need to forge a political settlement; (2) containing and ultimately defeating the insurgency in Iraq; and (3) bringing our troops safely home.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Congressional Record, p. S6233, 6/21/06)
Sen. Clinton Flip Flopped On Supporting The Iraq War:
Sen. Clinton Supported The Use of Force Against Iraq. “Passage of the joint resolution that would authorize the use of force against Iraq and require the administration to report to Congress that diplomatic options have been exhausted before, or within 48 hours after military action has begun. The president also would be required to submit a progress report to Congress at least every 60 days.” (H.J. Res. 114, CQ Vote #237: Passed 77-23: R 48-1; D 29-21; I 0-1, 10/11/02, Clinton Voted Yea)
In 2003, Sen. Clinton Said That Failure In Iraq Was Not An Option; Said We Would Need To Remain In Iraq “As Long As It Takes.” NBC’s Tim Russert: “You also said that the outcome in Iraq is not assured. Is failure an option?” Sen. Clinton: “No, absolutely not.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 12/7/03)
- Sen. Clinton: “Whether you agreed or not that we should be in Iraq, you know, failure is not an option.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 12/7/03)
In 2005, Sen. Clinton Said Withdrawal Would Be “A Big Mistake”; Warned Against Leaving Iraq As A Failed State. Sen. Clinton: “You know, there are some who believe we should withdraw immediately–I think that would be a big mistake. I think it would cause even more problems for us … it will matter to us if Iraq totally collapses into civil war, if it becomes a failed state like Afghanistan was, where terrorists are free to basically set up camp and launch attacks against us.” (Ben Smith, “Hillary’s Iraq: Ambiguous Hawk In A Fog Of War,” New York Observer, 11/28/05)
In 2007, Sen. Clinton Reversed Her Position And Voted In Favor Of Timetables For Withdrawal Nine Times. (RNC Research, Accessed 12/6/07)
NOTE: Edwards Has Also Flip Flopped On Supporting Iraq War. In 2003, Edwards Said The “Real Test For America” Would Be Our Commitment To The “Post-Saddam Iraq.” Edwards: “[T]he real test for America will come in the post-Saddam Iraq. Will we make the commitment to give the Iraqi people a real chance for success, a real chance for a democratic government? Or will we have the same kind of follow-through that we had in Afghanistan once we got rid of the Taliban?” (Sen. John Edwards, Remarks At The Democrat National Committee’s Winter Meeting, 2/22/03)
- In 2005, Edwards Called His Iraq War Vote A Mistake And Supported Withdrawal Of Troops. “It was a mistake to vote for this war in 2002.” (John Edwards, Op-Ed, “The Right Way In Iraq,” The Washington Post, 11/13/05)
- Edwards Continues To Call For Immediate Withdrawal From Iraq. “Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards … reiterated his intention for rapid withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.” (Dan Hoover, “End The War, Edwards Says On Trip Home,” The Greenville [SC] News, 12/7/07)
