Clinton dodges arrows on '02 Iraq vote

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/17/07 | Holly Ramer - ap

[NormsRevenge]

DOVER, N.H. - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton told New Hampshire voters Saturday that ending the war in Iraq is more important than whether she repudiates her 2002 vote authorizing President Bush to use military force there.

The New York senator and party front-runner repeatedly has faced calls for her to say her vote was a mistake. Democrats pressed her on it last weekend in New Hampshire and again on Saturday at a town hall meeting in the early voting state.

One of her rivals, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, has disavowed his vote. Another, Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), has opposed the war from the outset. The Illinois senator was not in Congress at the time of the war vote.

On Saturday, Clinton was asked by a University of New Hampshire professor why she refused to apologize for voting to give Bush the authority for the March 2003 invasion.

"I take responsibility for my vote. It was a sincere vote based on the facts and assurances we had at the time. Obviously I would not vote that way again if we knew then what we know now," she said, her oft-repeated explanation.

She then added in a clear reference to her rivals: "I have to say, if the most important thing to any of you is choosing someone who did not cast that vote or said his vote was a mistake, then there are others to choose from. But for me, the most important thing now is trying to end this war."

Clinton also responded to demands from Edwards and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack for Congress to cut off money for U.S. troops. The two-term senator argued that such calls fails to acknowledge the legislative reality that Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate.

"I understand the politics of this. I could very easily stand up here and say, 'I'm all for cutting off funding,' knowing we don't have the votes," Clinton said. "We have to end this war and we can't do it without Republican votes."

Clinton introduced legislation late Friday that would require the Pentagon to begin pulling U.S. forces out of Iraq three months after the bill becomes law — an unlikely scenario with the number of Republicans in Congress and Bush's veto power.

"It's time to say the redeployment should start in 90 days or we will revoke authorization for this war," Clinton said in a statement.

Clinton previously said her legislation would cap the number of U.S. troops at around 130,000, cut off money for Iraqi forces unless they show progress in defending themselves and convene an international conference aimed at stabilizing the Middle East.

In explaining her conference idea, Clinton took a shot at Bush, saying, "What we need is a president who will reach out to the rest of the world and make it very clear — the cowboys are gone."

At the town hall meeting, she also stressed a diplomatic approach. "You don't refuse to talk to bad people. I think life is filled with uncomfortable situations where you have to deal with people you might not like," she said, pausing when the audience began to laugh. "I'm sort of an expert on that. I have consistently urged the president to talk to Iran and talk to Syria. I think it's a sign of strength, not weakness."

Clinton had to cut short her New Hampshire visit for a Senate vote on Iraq. She reminded the crowd that it was in Dover that her husband, the former two-term president, made one of the most famous speeches of his 1992 campaign.

"Some of you might remember that during the 1992 campaign when my husband came to Dover and said, 'If you'll stick with me, I'll stick with you until the last dog dies.' Well, imagine how I felt when I heard on Thursday afternoon that we were going to have this important vote in the Senate on Saturday," she said.

"My staff said, 'Well, you're going have to cancel New Hampshire.' I said, 'Cancel Dover?' I said, 'Has the last dog died?' Of course, the last dog has not died, and I thank you for being here this morning."

___

Associated Press writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report.

[NormsRevenge]

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U.S. Senator and Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)
speaks at a campaign stop in Dover, New Hampshire, February 17, 2007.
REUTERS/Katie McMahon (UNITED STATES)

[3AngelaD]

So she missed today's cloture vote?

[andyandval]

Clinton dodges arrows on '02 Iraq vote

Here's to hoping one finds the mark.

[NormsRevenge]

She's now using earth tones to counter Gore surge 8-?

I guess Murtha borrowed her Code Pink outfit. It wouldn't fit quite right on Obama's bony derriere.

[expatguy]

"What we need is a president who will reach out to the rest of the world and make it very clear — the cowboys are gone."

I dont understand this.

[Thrownatbirth]

I dont understand this.

We surrender.

[stm]

[johnny7]

Yeah AP... did she vote or not?

[girlangler]

"Clinton also responded to demands from Edwards and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack for Congress to cut off money for U.S. troops"

Edwards lives in a state with a LOT of military bases and families.

Does this clown actually think he has a chance in *** of getting elected?

[A message]

"What we need is a president who will reach out to the rest of the world and make it very clear — the cowboys are gone."

I dont understand this.

I believe she is saying that the USA needs a weak president the rest of the world perceives as impotent.

Mrs William Clinton is an idiot like the people who vote for her and her ilk.

[NormsRevenge]

from way down in the article..

Clinton had to cut short her New Hampshire visit for a Senate vote on Iraq.

--

It's her new TurboCharged BroomStick,.. she was back in a flash. ;-)

[Jacquerie]

"I believe she is saying that the USA needs a weak president the rest of the world perceives as impotent."

She has zero executive experience and is tempermentally incapable of serving as one. She would load the administration with Utopian fellow travelers whose primary qualification is allegiance to her. A Hildebeast presidency would be a disaster.