Posted on 02/19/2005 11:03:06 AM PST by neverdem
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:01 p.m. ET
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday a string of attacks killing more than 50 Iraqis in two days were failed attempts to sow sectarian strife and destabilize the country.
Clinton, a New York Democrat, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were part of a five-member congressional delegation that met with U.S. officials and members of Iraq's interim government.
Both Clinton and McCain have been strident critics of the Pentagon's planning and management of the war in Iraq. But Clinton said Saturday that Sunni Muslim insurgents were failing in their efforts to destabilize Iraq through sectarian violence.
Her comments came as numerous suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks across Iraq killed dozens of people, Iraqi officials said, as Shiite Muslim worshippers celebrated their holiest day of the year. A U.S. soldier was among those killed in the attacks, the military said.
On Friday, insurgents staged five attacks killing at least 36 people and Shiites blamed radical Sunni Muslim insurgents for attacking them in a string of bombings, shootings and kidnappings.
Authorities had hoped to prevent a repeat of last year's attacks during the Ashoura festival when insurgent blasts killed at least 181 people in Karbala and Baghdad.
Clinton said insurgents had also failed to disrupt Iraq's landmark Jan. 30 elections, won by the Shiite clergy-backed ticket. The United Iraqi Alliance won 140 seats in the 275-seat National Assembly.
``Not one polling place was shut down or overrun and the fact that you have these suicide bombers now, wreaking such hatred and violence while people pray, is to me, an indication of their failure,'' she said.
``The results of the election are a strong rebuke to those who did not believe that the Iraqi people would take this opportunity to demonstrate their own commitment to their own future.''
But Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he did not believe the U.S. military would leave Iraq anytime soon.
``How long I don't know, but to leave too soon would be devastating to stay too long is unnecessary,'' Graham said. ``I ask the American people to be patient, because what happens here will affect our security back home.''
McCain said the U.S. military presence was tied to the numbers of casualties taken by American forces, but he was heartened by the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.
``We have a long hard difficult struggle ahead of us and I'm far more optimistic now,'' McCain said.
In December, McCain said he had ``no confidence'' in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, but he added that keeping Rumsfeld in the position was President Bush's choice, not his.
The delegation also was briefed by U.S. Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who is leading the effort to create an independent Iraqi security force, McCain said.
The group had not left the Green Zone, home to Iraqi government institutions and the American and British embassies, because of the security situation, McCain said. They were expected to meet with U.S. troops stationed elsewhere in Iraq on Sunday.
At least 1,476 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
The five senators that flew into Iraq included Clinton, McCain, Graham, Maine Republican Susan Collins and Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold.
Winning the election was the most important issue for the WORLD.....
There is no room for backstabbing and criticism now while our troops are fighting for their lives.
McC of all people ought to know what the anti war movement means to our military.
That he feels it's more important to go out and criticize the war effort, Rumsfeld, and the President tells me I have good reason to despise McC.
I believe his words were "absolutely qualified". At the same time he was denouncing the SBVfT allegations about Kerry's actual military record as "hyperbole"
I totally agree with you.......have had many great debate and I read this site alot longer than posting.....my whole deal was that yeah, we can disagree and should actually but my whole point was that calling the man a traitor, jack ass of fool adds very little to the discussion.......that is all
If Graham had been replaced by SpongeBob or Bozo the Clown, it would have made this entourage complete!!!!!
As we headline Hillary's move to the right, let us also not forget all of the baggage that she is carrying (ie. HealthCareGate, TravelGate, WhiteWaterGate, FosterGate, JuanitaGate ((a gate that she has never addressed yet)), and many, many more Gates.) To think that the press and electorate would overlook all of her past problems, while they literally gave GW a proctal exam in 2004 with his military service, is ludicrous. IMHO, Hillary can move to the center, she could even marry Rush Limbaugh, but the voters will never elect her......
Great assessment of McCain, thanks! I told NorCalRepub to read it. You hit the nail on the head....
Many people consider him one. They have a right to their opinion, just as you have the right to take exception to it if you feel they go overboard. Freedom of speech is what makes this country great.
Well, I wouldn't have thought so, except, strangely, 99% of the Dem party seems to be that Naive.
It's really blowing my mind. It seems so obvious to most of the country, but lately, even Evan Bahy has joined the Kerry's and the Kennedies. I can't figure out how they are viewing the world, but it is making them go even nuttier then they were before.
I mean, you would think if the American election wouldn't have gotten them to change their tone on the war, the Iraqi one would. But nope.
Except for two people: Lieberman, who's a decent man and pro-American, and Hillary, who's evidentally a whole lot smarter then most of her Democrat friends.
I live next to the military base in Groton Conn. Being more conservative than a new englander is not that hard to do
no harm, no foul.
and no apology necessary.
Thanks and I appreciate your pings today.
Evan Bayh has always been on the far left. While chair of the DLC he just kept his head down in public. Read his voting record from 2000-2002. Now he's simply coming out of the political closet.
I'm not sure I buy into the broken thing, but I'm not an expert on McCain by any means. I think we can safely agree on Kerry. Let's just say I'm not a fan. Heh heh heh...
I've debated this pointless subject enough.
Oh yeah, we can safely agree on Kerry, LOL
Thanks. I'll bet we can! You take care.
D1
They are just ginning up their base to hate Bush and anybody remotely conservative. Their elite leadership know they're selling more failed liberal BS; they just want power. I'd say 80 - 90 percent of their followers are true believers.
If there was the second coming of Christ, and He said that He approved of conservatism, they would still reject Bush, big government pubbies and conservatism.
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