Clinton: Politics Driving Iraq Timetable

Clinton: Politics Driving Iraq Timetable

Tuesday, December 2, 2003; Page A18


Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), back from a Thanksgiving trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, said she feared the administration's exit strategy for Iraq was being driven more by President Bush's political needs than by policy concerns for Iraq.

"Clearly, the quick move for some kind of sovereignty, in whatever form, by July . . . suggests to me there is a political imperative at work to try to declare victory -- or at least point to some kind of interim victory -- before the November elections," Clinton told reporters.

Clinton and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who also made the trip, said the process of stabilizing Iraq and achieving an orderly turnover of sovereignty might take longer than the administration now projects. Reed said he found Iraq "less chaotic but more dangerous" than when he visited in July and expressed concern that it might be difficult to replace critical U.S. personnel, such as military police and civil affairs officers, when they are brought home early next year.

Both senators called for more international involvement, but Clinton said Bush's refusal to cede any authority over Iraqi operations to the United Nations was impeding the effort. "I think that's a losing proposition," she said.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26638-2003Dec1.html

Of course there's a political timetable.

And we basically handed them the issue by playing up how long everything was taking. Now we're going to say he's trying to move to fast? This one's going to bite us in the butt if we're not careful. We could be getting manuevered in the same way we were when they leaked "we may not need to go to Congress for this" and we jumped up and down "Oooh Oooh Mr Kotter Mr Kotter!!! - PLEASE let us look like we're rubber-stanping whatever you want to do???". Just think of how much better the Iraq issue would play today for our candidates if there had never been a vote? If he had done it all on his own?

No, and hopefully her one voice will become a chorus and give other Dems some backbone.

since day 1.

Hence the rubber-stamp from a cowed Congress.

Julie

Rovian "strategery" photo opportunities than it does with well-thought out diplomacy.