Hillary Clinton Wants Wider International Role In Iraq (and she's not talking about her hips)

Reuters ^ | 11-25-03 | Reuters

[NewRomeTacitus]

Senator Hillary Clinton called Friday for a wider international role in running Iraq, but doubted the U.S. administration would cede much control in the country it invaded and occupied. "I'm a big believer that we ought to internationalize this, but it will take a big change in our administration's thinking," Clinton, a Democrat from New York, said during a nearly 10-hour visit to Baghdad where she met with U.S. troops, military chiefs and civilian officials including U.S. administrator Paul Bremer.

"I don't see that it's forthcoming," said the wife of former President Bill Clinton.

Clinton, who has ruled out a 2004 presidential bid, arrived in Baghdad with Democrat Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island a day after President Bush's surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. troops and Iraqi officials in the capital.

Bush's trip was widely seen as a move to boost the flagging morale of a U.S. military facing mounting casualties at the hands of a deepening guerrilla insurgency nearly eight months after the overthrow of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

The Bush and Clinton visits also come as senior Iraqi officials on the U.S.-backed Governing Council struggle to define terms of an agreement for the handover of sovereignty to Iraqis.

Clinton said the United Nations -- which pulled all but a handful of foreign staff from Iraq after the August bombing of its Baghdad headquarters -- could still play a role in administering Iraq, easing the burden on the United States.

"We're in a very difficult political situation, trying to expedite a process for self-governance that will be very challenging," she said.

"It's no longer sufficient for our military to win battles, but they have to win the hearts and minds. It's a very big challenge," Clinton said.

In an interview Friday in the French newspaper Liberation Secretary of State Colin Powell also called on the United Nations to play an active role in Iraq, notably in setting out the timetable and arrangements for restoring self-rule.

The head of the Governing Council, Jalal Talabani, said on Thursday a roadmap for transferring power to Iraqis would need to address the concerns of the country's top Shi'ite Muslim religious authority, which has said the current plan sidelines Iraqis and gives short shrift to Islam in governing.

Shi'ite Muslims, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's population, hope to play the lead role in a future government and their support would be crucial to the success of a proposed transfer of power to Iraqis by the end of June.

Clinton and Reed arrived from Afghanistan, where Thursday she met Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well as troops from the 11,500-strong foreign force in Afghanistan pursuing remnants of the Taliban and allied Islamic militants, including al Qaeda. (This story was based on a pool report from the Associated Press.)

[NewRomeTacitus]

I thought it was a report from a cesspool. She will stoop to any depth reqired to obtain power. Trying to buddy up with the troops while planning this attack on policy is a new low for her. Her evil is now cemented. I thought she might be a human being despite all the criticism. I was wrong.

[ladyinred]

We all see what "internationalizing" our conflicts did while Hillary! was in the drivers seat at the oval office. No thanks Hillary!

[basil]

And, of course, Reuters is always there to lend a hand--and add a few Bush-bashing sentences.

[Paul Atreides]

Apparently, she thinks she is still running the country. What a tragedy it will be if that evil scum ever gets back into power.

[BerniesFriend]

Hillary Clinton Wants Wider International Role In Iraq (and she's not talking about her hips)

Too funny..I have never served in the military..but I do have tremendous respect for their service..but I just have to wonder if it really lifted the morale of these service personnel when hillary walked in with her uh..70's liesure suit..(wink wink)...

[Cicero]

Going abroad to criticize your own country's president is, to my mind, a form of treason. That is especially true in a place like Iraq.

The clintons have been doing this ever since bill was a Rhodes scholar, organizing anti-American protests in London and touring around the Soviet Union as a (presumed) guest of the KGB.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Bush's trip was widely seen as a move to boost the flagging morale of a U.S. military facing mounting casualties at the hands of a deepening guerrilla insurgency nearly eight months after the overthrow of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Yep, it's Reuters.

I thought it was a report from a cesspool. She will stoop to any depth reqired to obtain power. Trying to buddy up with the troops while planning this attack on policy is a new low for her. Her evil is now cemented. I thought she might be a human being despite all the criticism. I was wrong.

Lol, yeah I think we've all made that mistake at some point in our lives. Hillary is a sociopath. There is no "bottom level" for her.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Senator Hillary Clinton called Friday for a wider international role in running Iraq

Fine. Move to a foreign country and do it from there, then. That ought to "internationalize" things just about enough, I s'pose. ;)

[BenLurkin]

She even wore "old Crusty" to war zone. Amazing.

[Paul Atreides]

It would be laughable, if she wasn't so dangerous.

[austingirl]

You are so right. I can imagine they had to assign servicepeople to sit next to her - I would think they'd all hate her. I saw a brief clip of her shoveling food into her mouth - she's a machine!

[cardinal4]

My Dad has a mouse pad with Hillary's face and a red line going through it. He keeps it on the seat of his computer chair. Its a pleasure sitting on the chair and bashing Hillary, especially if we've just eaten at the rib joint near his house. Baked beans, slaw, and pork ribs go a long way to expressing my true feelings for the former first lady!

[Palladin]

Who is this Jack Reed? What do y'all know about him?

What kind of man would want to be Hillary's travel companion? (~~shiver~~)

[cardinal4]

She is not that big, the camera just adds 80 or 90lbs.

That and all the silverware she stole from the US Embassy in Kabul..

[Just mythoughts]

So did the terrorist take off Thanksgiving in honor of Hillary. All "donkey carts" were assigned to Hillary and gang, no killer missions over Thanksgiving.

This would give the President an edge to fly in since the terrorist were taking a day off to honor Hillary.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

-HO CHI MINH had no bottom
-OSAMA bin LADEN has no bottom
-HILLARY RODHAM has no bottom

All Partners against FREEDOM & US

[austingirl]

What do you mean Hillary has no bottom - she'd got the biggest, widest bottom in politics today!