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Edited on Mon Dec-03-07 10:24 PM by jefferson_dem
Fact Check: Clinton's Attack On ''Courage'' December 03, 2007 "Hillary Clinton's idea of 'fun' continues today by attacking Barack Obama's 100% pro-choice rating and his record of leadership in reforming the death penalty, passing racial profiling legislation, and enacting the first major ethics reform in twenty-five years. The truth is, Barack Obama doesn't need lectures in political courage from someone who followed George Bush to war in Iraq, gave him the benefit of the doubt on Iran, supported NAFTA and opposed ethanol until she decided to run for President," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton. Background information on Barack Obama's record of fighting for Democratic principles and Hillary Clinton's "courage" on such issues as Iraq, Iran, NAFTA and ethanol: IL Planned Parenthood President Said Anyone Who Thinks A Present Vote Is A "Duck" Doesn't Understand How the Process Works. "There is a presumption, if one is not familiar with the mechanics of the General Assembly, that a present vote is a 'duck.' Pam Sutherland, the CEO and President of Illinois Planned Parenthood said of Hull argument: 'I think it's not well-based...I think it's somebody who doesn't understand how the legislative process works."
Director of the IL Council Against Handgun Violence Said Criticizing Present Votes Indicates "You Don't Have A Great Understanding Of The Process." "Criticizing Obama on the basis of 'present' votes indicates you don't have a great understanding of the process," said Thom Mannard, director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
The "Dirt" On Attacks on Obama's Present Votes Is "All Over The Hands of Those Pointing The Finger." "This column has the dirt on the issue of state Sen. Barack Obama's 'present' votes on tough issues in the Illinois Legislature--votes that at least two of his opponents in the March 16 Democratic U.S. Senate primary say mark him as a coward... There's dirt here all right. It's all over the hands of those pointing the finger."
Obama Was Praised for Standing Up on Tough Issues In State Legislature – Because His Senate Seat Was Not Vulnerable, He Used His Position To Help More Vulnerable Senators Do The Right Thing. Zorn wrote, "Obama, however, was in a safe district and never faced a serious challenge for his legislative seat. He had no need to shy from hard-line stands on gun control and abortion rights. He actually took such stands frequently and is now highly praised by advocates for both causes."
OBAMA HAS SHOWN COURAGE ON KEY ISSUES
Obama Passed Illinois State Gift Ban Act "Heralded As the Most Sweeping Good-Government Legislation in Decades." In 1998, Obama passed the Illinois Gift Ban, which prohibited legislators, state officers and employees, and judges from soliciting or receiving gifts from a person or entity with interests affected by government. The Chicago Tribune wrote, "an ethics and campaign finance package heralded as the most sweeping good-government legislation in decades." The law also required greater campaign finance disclosure and limited the uses for which raised money could be spent.
AP: Obama Played A "Key" Role In Passing Death Penalty Overhaul As Well As A Corollary Law To Require Videotaped Interrogations In Capital Cases, "Made A Difference On A Matter Of Life And Death." Obama was the chief co-sponsor and voted for bill creating the Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee Act. Approved nearly unanimously, the bill required the electronic recording of all homicide interrogations, conducts a police officer training program, and provides grants to local law enforcement agencies for the purchase of necessary equipment. The AP reported, "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can honestly claim to have made a difference on a matter of life and death. While an Illinois state senator, Obama was key in getting the state's notorious death penalty laws changed, including a requirement that in most cases police interrogations involving capital crimes must be recorded...Enactment of the 2003 law was a huge political achievement in a state that had been deeply divided over problems with capital punishment."
Obama Passed Racial Profiling Ban With A Republican Senator, "Met With Law Enforcement...Once a Month For Three Years" In Order to Pass It. Obama was the chief sponsor and voted for racial profiling bill that required law enforcement to record the race, age, and gender of all drivers they stop for traffic violations, to be analyzed by IDOT for evidence of racial profiling and then sent to the Governor. The bill also incorporated the racial and ethnic sensitivity training for all law enforcement personnel. The Daily Herald reported, "The bill is the product of years of work, says Sen. Kirk Dillard, a Hinsdale Republican. Dillard says he and Obama met with law enforcement representatives once a month for three years to create a policy that wouldn't overburden police officers with paperwork. 'I believe we have a bill that's workable...Law enforcement always has been the obstacle. They don't like it, but they have signed off on it.'" <93rd GA, SB 0030; 4/3/03, 3R P; 58-0-0; P.A. 93-0209, 7/18/03; 93rd GA, HB 0361, 4/3/03, 3R P; 58-0-0; House Total Veto Stands, 11/6/03; Chicago Daily Herald, 5/14/03>
...CLINTON HAS NOT
Clinton Voted To Authorize The Use Of Force Against Iraq. In 2002, Clinton voted for the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. In discussing her vote in favor of the Iraq war, Clinton said she believed the president should be given the benefit of the doubt. "I thought it was damaging ... in the Clinton administration for leaders in the other party to not just criticize and undermine the president, but send signals about our resolve and unity as a nation," she said. "And I will not as a senator participate in that. I think it's wrong."
Clinton Voted For Kyl-Lieberman, Which States That US Military Presence in Iraq Is A Critical Component In Addressing Potential Threats From Iran. Kyl-Lieberman states that "...(1) that the manner in which the United States transitions and structures its military presence in Iraq will have critical long-term consequences for the future of the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, in particular with regard to the capability of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to pose a threat to the security of the region, the prospects for democracy for the people of the region, and the health of the global economy; (2) that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from turning Shi'a militia extremists in Iraq into a Hezbollah-like force that could serve its interests inside Iraq, including by overwhelming, subverting, or co-opting institutions of the legitimate Government of Iraq."
Clinton Praised NAFTA As Part Of Her Husband's Legacy. In 1996, On a trip to Brownsville, Texas, Hillary Clinton "touted the president's support for the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying it would reap widespread benefits in the region." In her memoir, Hillary Clinton wrote, "Senator Dole was genuinely interested in health care reform but wanted to run for President in 1996. He couldn't hand incumbent Bill Clinton any more legislative victories, particularly after Bill's successes on the budget, the Brady bill and NAFTA." According to a Newsday issues rundown, "Clinton thinks NAFTA has been a boon to the economy."
Los Angeles Times: The Only Way To Explain Clinton's Flip-Flop On Ethanol Is A Political Move To Please Small But Politically Powerful Constituencies. Los Angeles Times: "The ethanol craze, like so much of U.S. energy policy, is designed more to please small but politically powerful constituencies such as corn growers and Detroit automakers than to solve the nation's energy problems. There is no other way to explain the flip-flops by presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain, who as senators were critical of ethanol but, desperate to the win the primary in corn-growing Iowa, have more recently become ethanol boosters."
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