Posted on 01/29/2007 2:11:52 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
(CBS News) DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that President Bush has made a mess of Iraq and it is his responsibility to "extricate" the United States from the situation before he leaves office.
It would be "the height of irresponsibility" to pass the war along to the next commander in chief, she said.
"This was his decision to go to war with an ill-conceived plan and an incompetently executed strategy," the Democratic senator from New York said in her initial campaign swing through the early-bird caucus state of Iowa.
"We expect him to extricate our country from this before he leaves office" in January 2009, the former first lady said.
The White House condemned Clinton's comments as a partisan attack that undermines U.S. soldiers.
About 130,000 American troops are in Iraq and Mr. Bush has announced he was sending 21,500 more as part of his new war strategy.
Clinton held a town hall-style forum attended by about 300 activists, giving a brief speech before taking questions for nearly an hour. Pressed to defend her vote to authorize force in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, Clinton responded by stepping up her criticism of President Bush.
"I am going to level with you, the president has said this is going to be left to his successor," Clinton said. "I think it is the height of irresponsibility and I really resent it."
Mr. Bush describes Iraq as the central front in the global fight against terrorism that began after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "The war on terror will be a problem for the next president. Presidents after me will be confronting ... an enemy that would like to strike the United States again," he recently told USA Today.
One questioner asked Clinton if her track record showed she could stand up to "evil men" around the world.
"The question is, we face a lot of dangers in the world and, in the gentleman's words, we face a lot of evil men and what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men," Clinton said. She paused to gaze while the audience interrupted with about 30 seconds of laughter and applause.
Meeting later with reporters, she was pressed repeatedly to explain what she meant. She insisted it was a simple joke.
"I thought I was funny," Clinton said. "You guys keep telling me to lighten up, be funny. I get a little funny and now I'm being psychoanalyzed."
She told reporters that evil men included al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who remains at large. "Isn't it about time we get serious about that?" she said.
The Politico.com's Ben Smith said Clinton was well received on her first trip to Iowa.
"People were surprised. She has this great advantage, people expect her to be a diva," said Smith. "But she's very good at these settings. She's very human. She talks a lot about being a woman and at the same time is hard on the Bush administration."
CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers reports Clinton is polling well behind John Edwards in Iowa in a field that now includes nine Democrats. It is even more crowded on the other side. In a surprise announcement, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Sunday became the tenth Republican to join the race.
Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani, one of the early GOP favorites, took a "pre-announcement" fund-raising trip to the other small state with a big say – New Hampshire.
He told supporters this race is about bridging the political divide.
"It is not just about ideologies or political parties, it's about who can do it better for our city, our state and our country," Giuliani told GOP activists in Manchester.
The Politico's Jonathan Martin said Giuliani received "a very positive response. Mayor Giuliani still retains the positive glow from 9/11. He was a celebrity candidate and people flock to him. He still has that sort of star power that brings a lot of folks out to see him at events."
Until the media changes in its fear offending the clintons the public will never hear the truth from any of the MSM in regards to them.
Ah, Rhodam has just confessed that she is wholly incapable of dealing with the situation in Iraq.
Sometimes I really wish the President would play as dirty as they do:
Press: Mr. President, what do you think of Senator Clinton's ultimatum that the situation in Iraq needs to be resolved by 2008?
President: Well, if she's running, she'd better hope it resolves by 2008, as she's totally incapable of dealing with the situation and that might harm her campaign severely...
Bush to Clinton: Clean up your bush.
Might make you feel better.
ok Iraq I'm leaving office and I have to make sure this is wrapped up before I leave!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can somebody help me here: did Clinton clean up HIS war in Bosnia before he left office?
If she's the successor, I think it's cosmically perfect justice. Afterall, the Clinton's inaction caused the problem.
Her strap-on is hard.
Let's start with a mess left on a dress.....
White house usher to Clinton as he looks at the sink --- Bill, clean up your own mess.
It would be "the height of irresponsibility" to ......
elect this woman to the highest office of this land.
She claims she was tricked and hoodwinked into voting for the war because the information was wrong. Information compiled since 1992.
My cynicism knows no limits with the Clintons.
We've got to listen to this crap for another two years????????
President Bush has been too busy cleaning up Clinton's mess, so messy Sandly Burglar got caught. This woman makes my intestines collapse in a raging knot
Projection, Mrs. "2-fer-1" former 1st (uh...) Lady? That headline reminds me of hubby Bill's Rage-A-Thon on Fox last year, turning red and wagging his lying-finger at a simple question about the mess he left for President Bush, having let bin Laden live several times. WOW.
I was watching the "World at War" documentary last night. I was amazed that the Ruskies lost over 100K men for the battle of Berlin alone. That does not count the German losses in military casualties and civilians caught in the middle.
Thank you for posting that, Avacado. I copied it to one of the yuk-yuk's on another (non-political) forum because they were chanting the bushlied mantra and making 100% ignorant statements...
The begining sounds like Cult chanting, then in walks the concubine of "He who shuns the light".
Bush to Sen. Clinton "Take a page from your own book".
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