Posted on 02/01/2007 8:29:42 PM PST by jdm
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Thursday the United States should talk with Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah as she outlined a plan for the Middle East that left open the possibility of military action against Tehran.
The New York Democratic senator, who aims in 2008 to become the first woman U.S. president, said in a speech to a pro-Israel lobbying group that valuable knowledge and leverage could be gained from engaging with those countries and organizations.
"I have advocated engagement with our enemies and Israel's enemies because I want to understand better what we can do to defeat those who are aiming their hatred, their extremism and their weapons at us," Clinton told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee dinner in New York.
The wife of former President Bill Clinton said new tactics were needed "in the endeavor to rein in terrorism, to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and to quell the influence of (Islamist groups) Hezbollah and Hamas."
The United States accuses Iran of undermining efforts to stabilize Iraq and of having a secret nuclear weapons program, but Iran says its nuclear projects are for civilian power generation.
"We need to use every tool at our disposal, including diplomatic and economic, in addition to the threatened use of military force," Clinton said.
"I also want to send a message -- if we ever do have to take more drastic action -- to the rest of the world that we exhausted all possibilities because we need friends and allies to stand with us as we stand with Israel in this long war against terrorism and extremism," she said.
Clinton, who reiterated support for the security barrier Israel is building in the West Bank, also said the Palestinians' governing Hamas should not be recognized until it renounces violence and terrorism and recognizes Israel's right to exist.
"We believe that Israelis have the right to live in their country without the constant threat of terrorism, war and rocket fire," she said. "We stand with Israel because it's a beacon of democracy in the region."
Hillary and the rest can't wait to be the next Neville Chamberlain.
She never does make sense to ME..but I figure someone, somewhere thinks she is perfect...they figure she will have 100 MILLION in no time.
Of course, I think that all of the Senators that are running for POTUS either should be required to give up their salaries while campaigning..because they spend so much time NOT doing their jobs in Washington...
OR, better yet...be forced to do like Dole did, and give up his Senate seat to run.
I think this would be the perfect year for a grassroots movement to call for that...since we have something like 10 Senators running.
America wants [Hillary] Clinton to move to Iran
Let me see if I understand, she wants to talk to these various factions to ask them what we can do to defeat them. I know she means uhm, well (shudder) but I'm just not thinking Iran, Syria, and all points east are going to be so willing to share with her ideas on how to defeat them.
Hillary wants to be President. Therefore Hillary wants to be commander In Chief. What the hell are her qualifications?
She is just picking up where her husband left off. Telling Israel they have to give up more land for peace.
She should have stayed home and baked cookies afterall.
I believe this is a plot, getting Hillary in, for Bill to take contol of that office again. Am I nuts? Don't answer.
LOL!
Ah, ah! I know just what you're thinking. You're thinking that this is a MRV warhead, the most destructive nuclear device in the world. Now you've got ask yourself a question. Do I have 5,000 of them, or 6,000? To tell you the truth, in all the confusion, I've lost track myself.
So you've got to ask yourself a little question. Do I feel lucky?
Well do ya, punk?
Jobs - you mean the Buffalo area unemployment rate hasn't markedly dropped in the last ix years? I am shocked.
But if you think about it, how hard would it really be to smuggle smuggle a W-88 warhead into Iran and just kind of have it go "whoopsie" within a klick of so of one of their centrifuge sites?
We could deny everything or better yet blame it on Amaneedingadinnerjacket.
It'd be kind of funny to see GW standing their with that cat ate the canary look on his face saying "Well we warned the world about this and now look what happened..."
I know it'll never happen but I can dream.
L
She can Kiss their ass this time instead of the cheek
She is being disingenuous, at best. The Dems have no plan to fight terrorism.
Actually I like my method better.
Most Iranians are not viciously anti-American, unlike their goverment. Shi'ites are natural enemies of Al Qaeda, Hizb ut Tarhir, and all the other assorted Sunni nasties who want a world-wide Caliphate, and thus natural allies against them. Were it not for the unfortunate quirk of history that Shi'ite Islamists displaced one of 'our bastards' in the old Cold War 'our bastards v. their bastards' division of the world, Iran would be pro-US to this day, even if the Shah were gone. Don't forget Iran was the only place in the Muslim world where there were spontaneous *pro-US* demonstrations of sympathy just after 9/11.
The anti-Persian Shi'ites in Iraq are our very much on our side, especially now that they have lost patience with the pro-Persian faction led by al Sadr.
Nuking Iran would, I fear, unite the entire Muslim ummah against us. Taking out the Iranian clerical regime by conventional airstrikes and subversion should provide us with more allies: the grateful Iranian people.
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.