Posted on 11/21/2005 1:46:04 PM PST by ncountylee
RYE BROOK, N.Y. (AP) Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would be "a big mistake."
While professing "the greatest respect" for Rep. Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania, the ex-Marine who called for a troop pullout last week, Clinton said, "I think that would cause more problems for us in America."
On the other hand, she said, the administration's pledge to stay in Iraq "until the job is done" amounts to giving the Iraqis "an open-ended invitation not to take care of themselves."
The right approach, Clinton suggested, would be for the U.S. to await Iraq's Dec. 15 elections for a clue about how soon the Iraqis can take over.
"Until they vote for a government I don't know that we will have adequate information about how prepared they are," she said. "Then we have to tell the new government, `We're not going to be here forever, we are going to be withdrawing our young men and women and we expect you to start moving toward stability.' ... They have to know we're not going to be there forever."
"Right now Iraq is tottering on the balance," Clinton said. "It will matter to us if Iraq totally collapses into civil war, if it becomes a failed state the way Afghanistan was, where terrorists are free to basically set up camp and launch attacks against us."
Clinton, a Democrat who is running for re-election to the Senate and is viewed as a possible presidential candidate in 2008, managed a few swipes at President Bush while saying, "This is not to me a partisan political debate."
"I think we have to face up to the problems that we're confronting because of poor decision making by the administration," the senator said. "But this is our president for the next three years. My view is we have to work together to fix these problems."
"None of us wants to see a failure in Iraq," she added. "That is too dangerous for America. So we have to try to make this as successful as possible, having already recognized the numerous mistakes that were made by the administration. We are where we are. Let's try to make it as successful as we can. Let's protect our young men and women, bring them home with honor as soon and as quickly as possible."
A call seeking comment from the White House was not immediately returned
The Lady needs a clue
The weathervane speaks!
DUH!
Let's see what the dems think of Hill's statement:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1940099
I wonder why the headline did not read: Clinton lashes out, or Clinton hits back? I thought that was standard when you disagreed with the Dems.
Our "Objective Journalists" in action
Yes, she held up that finger - and after the vote on Friday combined with Cheney's talk today, she had a distinct feeling that the wind gods were telling her not to trash our troops on this particular occasion.
In this respect, Murtha was an improvement -- at least he had articulated a plan, albeit a nonsensical one.
It's not enough to be a critic. You have to have a plausible alternative. If not, then sit down and shut up.
Isn't SHE smearing and attacking a "respected military leader" when she contradicts Murtha?
BTW, notice SHE thought he meant "immediate," even though he says he didn't SAY "immediate."
Of course, he's LYING:
The money quote:
I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis. I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid-December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice: The United States will immediately redeploy -- immediately redeploy.
From his own press conference:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/17/AR2005111700982.html
Well, Bush and the Republicans won the "immediate withdrawl" battle against the dems. Now, they need to concentrate on, hell even fight, the "quagmire" battle against the dems.
The only time I could justify "immediate withdrawel" is if after a night of REALLY hard drinking I awoke sober with her in my arms
Man don't they EVER take a bath over there at DU? How do I get the stench out of my computer now Ali?
I bet Web Hubbell wished he'd pulled out. ;)
Any way the wind blows,
doesn't really matter,
to meeeeeee
to-oo me...
See Hillary run. Run, Hillary, run. Run, run, run.
Here is one of the first examples. Hillary has thrown in (as she already had implied she would) with the "sensible left" and it will cost her. It won't cost her the nomination, but it will cost her support and $$.
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