Hillary's Shameful Straddling On Iraq

http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/37928/

Hillary's Shameful Straddling on Iraq
By Robert Scheer, AlterNet
Posted on June 21, 2006, Printed on June 22, 2006

How do you triangulate among death, hypocrisy and stupidity? Not at all logically, which is why Hillary Clinton's dissembling on Iraq has become a fatal embarrassment not only for her but for anyone who hopes she can provide progressive leadership for the nation. If she has still not found the courage to reverse course on this disastrous war, why assume that as president she would behave any differently?

It is unconscionable that those who can accurately measure the true cost of the Iraq folly in wasted lives and resources -- more than 2,500 Americans, tens of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of billions of dollars -- dare prefer her to potential 2008 presidential election rivals John Kerry, Al Gore, Russ Feingold and John Edwards, who have all come to speak honestly of this quagmire and our need to extricate ourselves from it.

If your priority is to support an inspiring female candidate to break America's ultimate glass ceiling, why not draft Barbara Boxer? Not electable? Nonsense: The California senator thrashed her conservative GOP opponent in a reelection campaign that shunned the failed strategy of Democratic hacks and instead emphasized principle over opportunism. She proved her political integrity again this past week by voting alongside Kerry and Feingold to set a date for getting out of Iraq.

- snip -

"I do not think it is a smart strategy, either, for the president to continue with his open-ended commitment, which I think does not put enough pressure on the new Iraqi government," said Clinton last week at the "Take Back America" conference. "Nor do I think it is smart strategy to set a date certain. I do not agree that that is in the best interests."

This is pure gibberish designed to sound reasonable. The Bush administration has pressured the Iraqi government plenty, from trying to place its handpicked intelligence "assets" in power right after seizing Baghdad through the unseemly act of a sitting U.S. president dropping into Iraq last week uninvited and unannounced -- a mockery of the claim that we have transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi people

MORE

lover's as I type.

Truth just hurts sometimes. Especially if you're a HC fan.

with her own party, and misguided by notions that are at odds with the majority of our changing party, a fact that will be made even more evident when she tries to run for 2008.

If we can't distinguish between a moderate republican and a conservative democrat, then we aren't going to win any votes away from the status quo and if she does get past the primary by some miracle or DLC sleight of hand, she'll do more to divide our own party from progressive democrats than any republican's wet dream.

And we'll lose.

Hopefully we won't have to cross that bridge.

You also enjoy mocking your fellow Democrats here at DU!

Why are you here?

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

(and I'm not a fan) She is sticking with her position. I think she actually believes it.

a run for the presidency.

Bob Scheer had best stick to writing his anti-Bush articles.

I understand her predicament.

She is against staying and against leaving. What a stupid thing to say.

Other than the fact that I hope she doesn't get the nomination, I find her political commentary to be
meaningless.