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.
And why else push to have Rumsfeld testify in public, if not to score brownie points with the Left?
Someone should have told the witch that if we hadn't taken Saddam out, he'd be lobbing SCUD missiles into Israel right now.
I know, I'm with you. These people who will just let that abomination walk into the White House if Republicans nominate McCain or Guiliani...so foolish, so short-sighted.
Rummy was not on his usual plan. She whooped him pretty well. I think Rummy doesn't give a twit what she says.
Yup, her people are getting their butts beat in Lebanon.
I don't know. She did accomplish her mission though--all three networks led off with the story. Brian Williams almost wet his panties.
I, and some others, wonder why she isn't castigated in public for the same thing that Gibson is now newly known for.
She managed to get all the talking points into one sentence..."blunders, incompetent, failed policy".
How original.
I love Rummy. He barely blinked in his response to that
b!tch. "My Goodness" Indeed!!!
You guys think alike-I thinks she owns a few RINOs--or has our kids would say-"pwned".
You would be worth my vote if you could give her a verbal knockout. The rest of the sane world would be grateful, too.
Yes, if they all went away, we wouldn't notice. I haven't seen a bunch of preening buffoons since the French aristocracy in the late 18th century.
They sure jumped the shark on the imigration bill. Our country would be far better off without them and their oh-so-collegial manner.
the MSM was so happy about Abizaid's negative testimony - I listened to the radio network news coming home from work.
Exactly right. Maybe if he husband had been doing his job instead of diddling the help and nearly making Yassir Arafat a permanent resident at the White House, perhaps terrorists would have had enough respect to not come after us in our own country and we'd not be in the situation we're in. As if that hag or her puerile husband could do any better.
Did anyone else think that she sounded just like her colleague Chucky Shumer with those prepared statements.
Sounded just like him. Both brutal commie liars that should rot with the devil.
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