The defense secretary seemed briefly stunned by the intensity of her attack,
Posted on 08/03/2006 2:06:54 PM PDT by Havok
WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton excoriated Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at a Senate hearing Thursday, saying he is presiding over a "failed policy" in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Under your leadership there have been numerous errors in judgment that have led us to where we are," the New York Democrat said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "We have a full-fledged insurgency and full-blown sectarian conflict in Iraq."
The showdown between Clinton, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, and Rumsfeld, the public face of the Bush administration's war effort, included the strongest criticism of the Iraq war she has made to date.
The defense secretary seemed briefly stunned by the intensity of her attack, exclaiming, "My goodness," before launching into a point-by-point defense.
He rejected some of her specific criticisms as simply wrong and said the war against terror will be a drawn-out process.
"Are there setbacks? Yes," said Rumsfeld. "Is this problem going to get solved in the near term? I think it's going to take some time."
The testy exchange between Clinton and Rumsfeld came after a top general told the panel violence in Iraq is probably as bad as he's ever seen it and the country may be descending into civil war.
Rumsfeld's popularity has suffered through the three-year Iraqi insurgency, but Clinton has faced critics within her own party furious about her vote in 2002 to authorize the invasion of Iraq and her continued support for the overall mission there.
A day before the hearing, Clinton pushed Rumsfeld to testify publicly before the committee, and when her turn came to speak, she laced into him.
"When our constituents ask for evidence that your policy in Iraq and Afghanistan will be successful, you don't leave us with much to talk about," said Clinton.
"We hear a lot of happy talk and rosy scenarios, but because of the administration's strategic blunders — and frankly the record of incompetence in executing — you are presiding over a failed policy," she said. "Given your track record, Secretary Rumsfeld, why should we believe your assurances now?"
Rumsfeld vehemently denied he'd ever glossed over the difficulties of the fighting in Iraq or elsewhere.
"There's a track record here," countered Clinton. "This is not 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, when you appeared before this committee and made many comments and presented many assurances that have frankly proven to be unfulfilled."
"Senator, I don't think that's true," Rumsfeld fired back. "I have never painted a rosy picture. I've been very measured in my words and you'd have a dickens of a time trying to find instances where I've been excessively optimistic. I understand this is tough stuff."
At that point, the Republican chairman of the committee, Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record) of Virginia, came to Rumsfeld's defense, saying his past comments had been balanced.
Clinton still shied away from two demands made by a growing number of Democrats: Rumsfeld's resignation and a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
The disagreement between the two extended to Afghanistan. The senator specifically faulted Rumsfeld for saying in 2002 that the Taliban was gone, noting that the extremist faction has grown stronger in recent months.
He conceded violence has escalated in Afghanistan, but added, "Does that represent failed policy? I don't know. I would say not."
The defense secretary said he expected the violence there to follow a seasonal pattern and decline as winter approaches.
Hillary, under your reputed husband's "leadership," al-Qaeda was able to attack US interests with impunity, and without fear of reprisal, leading up to the horrific acts of 9/11.
You forgot your link!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060803/ap_on_go_co/clinton_iraq_1
This explains her attack on Rumsfeld. She's working to pacify the base.
The defense secretary seemed briefly stunned by the intensity of her attack,
She was boiling with Hate Venum. I see why billy is fishing a lot in Canada!!
Pardon my French. All I can think of is "That B#TCH!"
Like she gives a damn.
Some Republican Senator on the panel should have laced into her.
That is, if they could find their testicles.
Abazaid/Pace should have said this...then walked out of the hearing.
"The Democratic party leadership have led a campaign through the media with their malicious disdain for the POTUS to divide the country and send the wrong message to terrorists in regard to the War we're in...Democrats have emboldened this countries enemies...it is you, that's right you and your ilk, that have given cause for our enemies to rejoice and continue to fight...Sen. Clinton, you have no one to blame but yourself."
Walk it off Rummy, at least you don't have to live with the Beotch.
She is obscene.
now we worry about the sec of def standings in popularity polls, i hear the white house dentist popularity has waned
Her husband knows a little bit about things being full-blown. In fact, if her husband had been more concerned about taking care of the Nation's security than getting something onthe side, we might not be in the war we are now.
A_R
LOL....I'm beginning to cut Bill some slack.
"That is, if they could find their testicles."
Nope, she collected most of them and put them in her purse.
From the clips I heard, Rummy handed her fat-ass right back to her on a platter.
Wonder why THAT wasn't the headline?
Actually Hillary came a accross as a drone too stupid to know anything so had to just read her prepared statement from a sheet of paper. If anyone did any ripping it was Rummy.
How's Barney doing in the overnight polls?
It also utter projection. Rummys popularity has not suffered at all.
Hey, if I run for office on the platform that I will say what everyone else is thinking, will you all vote for me? I would have no problem telling her to shut the F@*% up! Maybe even drop a C-bomb if me made me angry enough.
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