I just ate
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.
Good one -
I agree Arkansans aren't stupid, but you are, since hillary was born and grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and became the epitomie of the boomer Marxist and still is, no matter her current speaking with a political forked tongue.
I just ate
Did she tell the Iraqi's that she's an "Evangelical"?
I'll take "stupid" over "uselessly obnoxious" and "supercilious jackass" any time . . . .
If it's not too much trouble, would you ping me when you get it?
What we need to do is run Guliani in 06 to beat her out of the senate.
He can never make it for president - but in NY, esp. after his performance during 9/11, and his pro-choice, etc stance - he'd stand a good chance of getting her our of office for two years - and, like you said, 'short-term memory..."
If she's relegated to limbo for two years, she won't be as strong a candidate ...
also, the dems who'd like to see her gone so's they can have their shot, would turn on her like they don't dare now. she would be without her power
I posted this as breaking news after searching appropriately. In my enthusiam to post it, I forgot the /sarcasm tag. I thought it was obvious, but now I look naive. 8^(
This is of course, my friends, just another Hillary hoax.
When Air America and Barbara Boxer (and all the others) publicly excoriate Hillary for abandoning her liberal roots, (and causing her liberal base to wonder same) then I might take a passive interest. But they are playing along obediently, with a wink and a nudge.
But for now, it's amusing, professionally produced and amateurly performed theatre, and it's not taking our village.
.
Yes, with Hillary lip-synching the Bush doctrine and hubby travelling around with Poppy, you just have to wonder. NOT.
Hillary, of course, is devoid of conviction. It's all about power. McCain should swap parties with Lieberman and be done with it.
Hey, now there's an idea!
But I wonder about McCain - his face isn't looking too good lately - I wonder if he'll have more trouble with the skin cancer
From his Senate bio:
Lindsey O. Graham was elected to serve as United States Senator on November 5, 2002.
Pity the CO's who have to make nice while she's there. Yuck.
Oh it's a major insult alright. That's one of the most important reasons why this woman should never have been honored with this position. It's just shameful that someone with her background could be installed as a U.S. Senator. It really is an indicator of how bad the Senate has truly become.
I doubt this will happen, because all the libs I know are much much more intelligent than any Bush supporter, and they all will see that this is just a sucker play for conservatives, in other words, all liberals know this is a "fingers crossed" situation. /sarcasm
Hitlery, in spite of the "makeover," not looking too good either. Two bad hair days in one month when she is so well known for stylin' her locks.
"Hitlery Watch" continues. Be vigilant.
Isn't Hitlery the same moron who forbade all the military in the WH to never make eye contact with her or her daughter? Didn't she also ask them not to wear uniforms in the WH? She's still an anti-military Commie and those spots are never washed away.
Well Freepers it is now official, the smartest woman in the world has told us the insurgents are failing, so it must be true and here I thought all this time Bush and Rummy were lying to us again.
Is that "caveat emptor" or does "imptur" mean something else not in my Latin dictionary? (Sorry, Latin spelling police in action here).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.