WP, pg1: Hillary Clinton Embraces Her Husband's Legacy; Decision made after months of discussion

[DeepModem Mom]

Hillary Clinton Embraces Her Husband's Legacy
By Anne E. Kornblut and Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, December 22, 2007; Page A01

CONCORD, N.H., Dec. 21 -- After months of discussion within her campaign over how heavily she should draw on her husband's legacy, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is closing out her Iowa and New Hampshire campaigns in a tight embrace of Bill Clinton's record, helping fuel a debate about the 1990s with Sen. Barack Obama that she thinks she can win. As part of the Clinton strategy, the former president is playing an increasingly prominent public role as an advocate for his wife. He appears to have overcome concerns within the campaign over how closely she should associate her candidacy with his time in office and over whether his appearances could draw attention away from her.

Both Clintons are making the case that theirs was a co-presidency -- an echo of Bill Clinton's controversial statement during the 1992 campaign that voters would get "two for the price of one" if they elected him. At times, the former president has seemed to cast the current race as a referendum on his administration.

Hillary Clinton (N.Y.), the Democratic front-runner nationally but facing strong challenges in Iowa and New Hampshire from Obama, has shifted her emphasis repeatedly over the past few months as the senator from Illinois made inroads in the two states. She has tried to show a more "human" side, and on Friday brought along her daughter, Chelsea, and her mother to events here titled "The Hillary I Know." She has tried to co-opt the message of change from Obama, declaring that she has been "working for change" her entire life. Over the past week, she injected the phrase "new beginning" into her stump speech. But the unchanging core of Clinton's message is her experience, and in recent days she has presented the election as a binary choice: between a competent, experienced Clinton and novices such as Obama. "That's the kind of logic that got us George Bush in the first place," she said this week in Iowa....

***

Right after Christmas...Clinton plans to make the case on national security grounds, citing the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as evidence that unexpected crises can arise. The argument is in some ways similar to the one President Bush made in 2004, when he campaigned on what he described as his proven leadership in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks and said the terrorist threat called for keeping him in the job. But Clinton is playing on more than just national security concerns, discussing economic security, as well. "Time to pick a president" is the new theme, which will be unveiled in Iowa next week....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/21/AR2007122102588.html?nav%3Dhcmodule&sub=AR

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Is She Embracing Her Husband's Use Of Torture?

Bill Clinton pioneered the practice of "extraordinary rendition" - secretly kidnapping people and sending them to other countries to be tortured. This is the first time that torture was an official part of US policy.

e.g., http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/02/14/050214fa_fact6?printable=true

Hell of a legacy.

[DURHAM D]

4. I guess you liked it better when it was unofficial -

through out the cold war.

[comradebillyboy]

10. Yeah, good thing Bush saved us from

Clinton's 8 years of peace and prosperity. Would really hate for that to come back, wouldn't we?

Hate to disillusion you Manny, but the dear old USofA has been using torture for a long time now, at least as long as the CIA has been in existence. At the Army's School of the Americas in Fort Benning Ga we have been training Latin American regimes in the use of torture for many decades now. Bush just made it an open public policy instead of a dirty little secret.

[IndianaGreen]

35. Clinton's legacy includes rendition, Plan Colombia, DOMA, Don't Ask-Don't Tell, bombing Iraq

and starving Iraqis, not to mention the hundreds of thousand children that died thanks to Bush.

Shall we mention Clinton's dirty war in the Balkans, including the use of Al-Qaeda trained Chechen mercenaries?

How about Clinton's bungling of Osama bin Laden, allowing him to leave Sudan where he lived in the open?

[Armstead]

2. I thought she was supposed to be her own person

It's monumentally depressing that she has to decide with her campaign advisors whether she should be Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton or First Lady Hillary Clinton WIFE OF BILL.

[Whisp]

7. second banana to Bill

not a very good message of strength and whatever she is claiming.
Its quite pathetic, actually.

[K Gardner]

3. Great, another "9/11-noun-verb" campaign to look forward to.

And the gifts just keep on coming.

[rocktivity]

5. She should have done that right out of the gate if she was going to

Now it just makes her look like she's trying on campaign strategies the way Condi tries on shoes.

:headbang:
rocknation

[indimuse]

32. Obama: military strikes on Pakistan should not be ruled out

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told "the Chicago Tribune on September 26, 2004, 'he big question is going to be, if Iran is resistant to these pressures , including economic sanctions(YOU MEAN THE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS HILLARY VOTED ON AND YOU....DID'NT EVEN SHOW YOUR ARROGANT ASS UP FOR??? which I hope will be imposed if they do not cooperate, at what point ... if any, are we going to take military action?'

"He added, 'aunching some missile strikes into Iran is not the optimal position for us to be in' given the ongoing war in Iraq. 'On the other hand, having a radical Muslim theocracy in possession of nuclear weapons is worse.' Obama went on to argue that military strikes on Pakistan should not be ruled out if 'violent Islamic extremists' were to 'take over'," Joshua Frank wrote January 22, 2005, for Antiwar.com.<1>

[Vincardog]

6. Is she claiming NAFTA and all the job killing trade deals too?

[Armstead]

8. No, those were from a different Bill Clinton.

[Vincardog]

12. How about gutting Welfare? Ending public support of the Public?

[Armstead]

13. That was the other Bill Clinton too

[IndianaGreen]

37. How about Plan Colombia and the School of the Americas?

:-)

[rufus dog]

9. I don't get it!

She is part of the decision process and yet only remembers some charts about NAFTA? She can't have it both ways although she appears that she is trying hard to take credit and no blame.

[BootinUp]

11. Its posturing in response to Obama's posturing.

I am enjoying all the hyperbole so far in this thread though.

[saracat]

14. Isn't that riding on Bill's coattails? I thought she was a "stand alone" woman.

Guess she isn't a "feminist" after all.And does support NAFTA , welfare reform and pardons for criminals.And I guess Bill legacy of inappropriate behavior is okay too.Sad,

[Tom Rinaldo]

24. I hope you weren't one of the people who argued that Gore made a mistake

...to not embrace the Clinton Administration legacy, a mistake that some argue cost him the 2000 election (by making it close enough to steal). Hillary was part of that Clinton Administration legacy - but if she embraces it she is more open to the type of attack you just made. It seems her camp decided to more closely identify with the Adminstration of the last popular American two term President. I can see the pros and cons but this makes sense to me. All legacys are a package deal - you take the bad with the good.

[saracat]

30. But she want only the good parts.

[Tom Rinaldo]

31. But of course.

Since when has anyone in politics not sought to highlight the aspects of their record that are most appealing and escape out from under the aspects of their record that are most problematic? Honest, if you don't at least have that mind set as a goal, you get slaughtered in elections - not just primary elections but against Republicans also. You have to frame yourself positively, and opponents have to poke holes in that attempt. That's politics. But on the whole I think Hillary Clinton is banking on the overall public impression of the two term Clinton presidency being a positive one. I think that is the correct political appraisal from her perspective.

[msongs]

15. thank gosh nobody is riding on oprah's coat tails eh? nt

[jenmito]

17. What an absolutely ridiculous comparison!!!

Obama got where he is today because his hard work-not because of 3 appearances by Oprah or because he's married to a popular ex-president! :rofl:

[cali]

16. I could deal with anything in there but the last paragraph

It makes me furious that she's going to play the fucking 9/11 card. That's just disgusts me beyond my ability to express myself.

[BootinUp]

18. It think it would be better to wait and see

before condemning her.

[cali]

23. You're right. But if she does use the 9/11 fear card, what will your

reaction be? It happens to be something that drives me nuts. It's the fear bullshit that's led to so much that's wrong with this country.

[jenmito]

19. I can't believe she's taking a page right out of the RW playbook and using the fear card!

"Right after Christmas...Clinton plans to make the case on national security grounds, citing the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as evidence that unexpected crises can arise. The argument is in some ways similar to the one President Bush made in 2004, when he campaigned on what he described as his proven leadership in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks and said the terrorist threat called for keeping him in the job. But Clinton is playing on more than just national security concerns, discussing economic security, as well. "Time to pick a president"

How did she handle 9/11? She voted for the IWR supposedly after consulting with her husband (who claimed to be against it from the beginning)! How is she ready to deal with unexpected crises better than Obama? :eyes:

[BootinUp]

20. What do you call it when

Biden or Dodd or Richardson claim they have more foreign policy or crisis experience? She is not making a case for war lol.

[jenmito]

22. She's the only one specifically bringing up 9/11. The article states...

Right after Christmas...Clinton plans to make the case on national security grounds, citing the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as evidence that unexpected crises can arise. The argument is in some ways similar to the one President Bush made in 2004, when he campaigned on what he described as his proven leadership in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks and said the terrorist threat called for keeping him in the job. But Clinton is playing on more than just national security concerns, discussing economic security, as well. "Time to pick a president"

Just what proven leadership does she have? Voting for the IWR? Consulting with her husband who told her to vote for it? Please. She's specifically mentioning 9/11. Just like Bush. And she didn't have the judgement to vote against the IWR while Obama spoke out against it and predicted exactly what happened.

[comradebillyboy]

25. I guess if the Washington Post says its so

it must be true, because they and their political pundits are inerrant.

[jenmito]

26. Instead of attacking the messenger, how do you feel if it's true?

[K Gardner]

27. Oh, I believe it. I just wasn't expecting her to sink to this level.

[jenmito]

28. Desperate people do desperate things.

Her campaign is obviously desperate.

[K Gardner]

29. True enough :-)

[Tom Rinaldo]

33. Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3852553

:)

[gulliver]

21. Honesty is the best policy.

She might as well embrace it. It is the only reason she has a chance. But it is a good reason.

[BenDavid]

34. This is where gore screwed up in 2000 by not speaking out

more on the clinton gore record of 8 years. Compared to the last two republicans that held this seat and the present one clintons record beats them all. I agree that hrc should inject her husbands administration when it comes to foreign policy and the many friends the u s had and compared to now. Compare the economy and all the other things....Also the deficit was paid off and began to pay down the debt.

That is a record of accomplishment and she should speak out about it.

[calteacherguy]

36. I will be frank: I'm delighted to see this. I think they are making a huge mistake. nt

[BeyondGeography]

38. Her campaign is the gift that keeps on giving

if you're an opponent, that is.

[Mother Of Four]

39. Wow uhm....

I may not like her, but I did have some respect for her.


If she really does this, and it's not more gossip...It may well be the worst mistake of her campaign.

I can hear it...

"I'm standing on my own, with Bill as my crutch."
"This will be my presidency, like Bill had his...but we are two for one" (How can it be her presidency if its a Co-presidency?)

If she really WAS so called two for one, and co-president...is her running even Legal?

Dammit I thought she was smarter than this.