OBAMA GOES AFTER CLINTON ON WAR VOTE

[peoli]

From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
BEAUFORT, SC. -- Obama reprised his attacks on the war, saying Clinton didn't read the National Intelligence Estimate, hasn't apologized for her vote on the war and that leadership is about judgment and learning from mistakes

These attacks aren't new but significant when put in context of the radio ad out here as well, in which an announcer says Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected. And he also now has no issues with using her name

“As a candidate I know I'm running to be commander in chief,” Obama said. “To ensure our security and keep the sacred trust with those we serve. There is no responsibility I take more seriously and no judgment more important than to put our troops in harm’s way. … I will act in proper regard for the costs and consequence of actions based on the advice of military commanders and a careful review of the intelligence.

On war: “There are patriots who were against it and patriots who supported it. I have been open about my opposition to this war, but one of my opponents in this race, Senator Clinton, has, I believe, tried to rewrite history. She voted for a resolution and I quote: ‘A resolution to authorize the cause of United States armed forces against Iraq.’ Now she's saying she wasn't really voting for war. She cast her vote after failing to read the National Intelligence estimates on Iraq, a report that raised enough doubts that the majority of Democratic senators who read it voted against the war.

“We need more accountability in our leaders. You can’t undo a vote for war just because a war stops being popular. Pres bush has used that authority to keep our troops in Iraq to this day. This is not just about the past it’s about the future. Voters need to judge us about the judgments we've made and the lessons we've learned.

“Sen Clinton has not said her vote was a mistake. She has simply blamed the civilian and military leaders who carried out the policy she authorized. We don't know why Iraq met the threshold for war; how can we know what means the threshold in the future?

“When I am president the buck will stop at the oval office.”

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/24/605775.aspx

[NJSecularist]

1. Obama should have started this attack earlier.....

He should have made this talking point a theme of his campaign. It may be too late now. He had a very distinct advantage, some ammo to use, with his opposal of the war from the start. Now he may just be shooting blanks.

[jasmine621]

19. But at least HC voted and she hasn't backed down. Her statement at that time

proves the truth of what she is saying now. Just take time to read it. Obama can always spin a non-vote. He is good at that. Give me someone who stands for something, fights for it, but is smart enough to make a change when the real facts call for it. You can't accuse HC of being soft on national security as the Repukes will likely do to Obama if were to win the nomination.

[DURHAM D]

31. Amen -

Thirty years ago I worked for a state senator who as a freshman tried to dance a little side step with his senate colleagues.

One day in a fit of frustration while we were discussing a bill I said to him, pick strawberry or pick chocolate - just stop being the vanilla guy. Make a decision. Its better to have some love you and some hate you then to have no one give a shit about you. Your colleagues don't trust you and frankly, with good reason. Make a choice.

I saw him this Christmas at a party and he told everyone the story. I had forgotten it.

He is still serving but is not in the leadership after all of these years. I assume because he is still not comfortable making hard choices.

[Cha]

36. Maybe..but, in the spirit of shoulda,

woulda, coulda, he's doing it now.

[Unsane]

2. This needs to be his main line of attack in places like CA.

[David Zephyr]

3. It is about time. It's why the Clintons keep dragging out the race card...to avoid their war card.

The Clintons gave Bush the green light to invade Iraq and tried to do it with Iran, too.

That's the subject they do not want to discuss.

[agdlp]

4. She was briefed multiple times, neighter Dodd or McCain read it eighter(only 6 senators read it)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new biography of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has once again raised the issue of whether members of Congress read a key intelligence report before the 2002 vote to authorize war in Iraq.

Clinton did not read the 90-page, classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, according to "Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton."

For members of Congress to read the report, they had to go to a secure location on Capitol Hill. The Washington Post reported in 2004 that no more than six senators and a handful of House members were logged as reading the document.

The Clinton biography, written by New York Times reporters Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr., summarizes the intelligence estimate, which combined reports of U.S. intelligence agencies about Iraq.

Clinton, a New York Democrat, was briefed on the intelligence report multiple times, a spokesperson told CNN.

Clinton is one of six presidential candidates who were in the Senate in October 2002 who voted for the resolution to authorize the invasion of Iraq.

Candidate and then-Sen. John Edwards "read and was briefed on the intelligence" while sitting on the Senate Intelligence Committee, a spokesman said. Edwards has called his vote for the 2002 resolution a mistake. Another Democratic candidate, Sen. Joseph Biden, said he read the report.

A spokesman for presidential candidate Sen. Christopher Dodd said the Connecticut Democrat did not read the document, either.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona also voted in favor of the resolution without reading the report.

A spokesman for McCain told CNN his boss was briefed on the document "numerous times, and read the executive summary."


http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/28/clinton.iraq/index.html

[agdlp]

7. Misleading report

The National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the United States had "compelling evidence" that Iraq was restarting its efforts to develop a nuclear bomb and had concealed stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons from U.N. inspectors after the cease-fire that ended the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

That was wrong, but that wasn't established until after a U.S. -led army toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003.

The intelligence report did contain passages that raised questions about the weapons conclusions, said John McLaughlin, then deputy director of the CIA.

"I think if someone read the entire report, they would walk away thinking the intelligence community generally thinks he has weapons of mass destruction, but there are quite a bit of differences," he said.

McLaughlin, now a CNN contributor, said dissenting views by the State Department, Department of Energy and the Air Force made up about 10 to 12 pages of the report -- but critics say those dissents were not highlighted.

Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he held a closed session at which members could read the report along with top CIA officials. (Watch Sen. Biden say he couldn't vote against funding the war and put troops in greater jeopardy )

Biden told CNN that he read the dissents in the report and he "spoke to the ones who dissented."

Biden ended up voting for the resolution, but argued that he was casting a vote "to avoid a war."

"It was a vote to give the authority to the president to avoid war by keeping the pressure on Saddam Hussein," the Delaware Democrat said Monday.

He said Bush initially told Congress he would allow inspectors to certify whether Iraq had dismantled its weapons programs.

"The president misused the power we gave him under that resolution," said Biden.

Bush said war was necessary because Iraq was deceiving weapons inspectors and had demonstrated its unwillingness to disarm.

A U.S.-led survey later concluded that Iraq had attempted to conceal some weapons-related research from the United Nations, but had abandoned its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs in the 1990s.

[avaistheone1]

13. If they read them so what? The intelligence reports were wrong.

They were prepared hastily in a matter of weeks, not researched in 6 months as they customarily are. The intelligence community was pressured to create quickie reports and data was cherry picked to reflect the Administration's case for war.

I can't blame any of our elected officials for voting for war under such circumstances.

But voting to continue funding the war is unforgivable. And that is what Clinton and Obama continue to do. Why can't they do what Congress did in Vietnam and stop the damn funding.

[bellasgrams]

17. They are funding the 'war' because our soldiers need to

protect themselves until they are brought home. Do you want them shooting spitwads?

[avaistheone1]

22. B.S. we brought our soldiers home from Vietnam despite stopping the funding.

I hate that b.s.

[Afje]

5. Obama's strategy only goes so far

Most Americans already came around to the conclusion that Iraq was a big mistake. All they want to know is how to get out, and on that point Obama isn't any different than Hillary.

[msongs]

6. so what has obama actually DONE to stop the occupation ? nt

[LostinVA]

10. Well -- he keeps voting to fund it

[rhett o rick]

18. The issue is that Sen Clinton was behind fuhrer bush's war all the way and you want us to

look over there? Let's talk about how Sen Clinton let down the country and supported the Bush War and your response is "hey Obama voted for some bad stuff too, look over there." Lame. I can't imagine how you can support some one that supported the Neocon War, gave Bush cart blanc to invade Iraq and kill a million people. I don't give a flying whatever what Obama did, it doesn't excuse her.

[LostinVA]

32. Bush did not invade Iraq under the conditions they voted for with IWR

Obama wasn't even a senator then, so it's really easy for him to say he wouldn't have voted for the resolution. Nearly ALL of the Dems voted for the IWR.

[David Zephyr]

11. Hillary authorized Bush to invade Iraq and he did with her blessing.

We are going to now remind Americans about that vote.

That vote that has cost 1 million lives in Iraq.

Hillary's vote.

[Cant trust em]

8. What took you so long, buddy?

This is the best attack he can land on her. He doesn't have to twist language, fudge any records or misinterpret anything. We all know how she voted on the IWR and there's no way out.

[Tulkas]

9. Looks Like the Feb. 5th race is in full swing

[Major Hogwash]

12. Fuckin A - hit her where it hurts - where she won't take responsibilty for her IWR vote!

Man, I hope this hits home in South Carolina where the Marine Corps have their bases located!

[pstans]

14. Clinton isn't anti-war

It is about time. Clinton isn't anti-war, she is a one of the biggest Democratic hawks in the Senate.

[Barack_America]

15. Fantastic. "Sound judgement"...that's where the debate belongs! n/t

[PassingFair]

16. He can smash Edwards with this, too.

It's his ace in the hole, frankly.

It's why I'd vote for him if he'd drop
the religious schtick and get on the
anti-war train.

[Cameron27]

20. Well Obama must be relieved

that John Kerry never challenged the 04' election then. I suppose he thought that Kerry's/Edwards' yes votes should have been used against them also.

[Unsane]

21. uh, their yes votes were used against them

By Howard Dean and others.

[Cameron27]

23. But Obama apparently didn't use it against them,

and even made statements to support them that included his own speculation about how he would have voted had he been in the senate.

[Unsane]

24. He wasn't running against them

So you would rather have him harm the nominee's chances?

[Cameron27]

25. It doesn't matter,

his statements are on the record, and this coming 3 years later makes him sound like a hypocrite.

[jackson_dem]

35. Obama should have said "present" when asked about the vote then

[MagsDem]

28. Exactly

Obama is not a truthful guy. He's a hypocrite, and lies as easily as Bush as far as I can tell. I can't even believe actual progressives would even consider voting for him.

[MagsDem]

26. Meanwhile, Obama would have voted "present" or....

hit the wrong button and then not realized it until it showed up in the congressional record, or whatever excuse he could come up with. Just cracks me up when Obama starts talking about accountability.

How ironic that someone that has a history of not taking a stand on difficult bills, and is breaking his neck to disown his good friend Rezko is talking about accountability.

[Seen the light]

27. This apparently isn't a big deal for DU anymore

After all, the new hero here is Edwards right? Can someone remind me how he voted on the IWR? I can't seem to recall it...

[madrchsod]

29. what war?

the american public does`t care anymore. it`s the economy that what the american people care about now. it`s the price of heat,gasoline,food,and if the kids can get their teeth fixed and have new glasses...

if any of the democrats in the house and senate were not so gutless they would be screaming that`s it`s either giving the money for war or money to rebuild america...but no they cave in to bush`s fucking minions in his "circus of the dammed"

if our big three candidates could get their hand out of their asses and attack bush maybe something would be done too. but i doubt they could agree to do that cause one of them could`t take all the credit....


cynical? you bet i am

[johnnydrama]

30. why

Anybody who saw Buying the War on Moyers would know that it was all bullshit. Why did 2 reporters for Knight Ridder/McClatchy know more than a US Senator about how bogus it all was.

[Skip Intro]

33. Would he be a Commander in Chief, or just rely on someone putting the right paper in front of him

when he needs it?

[jackson_dem]

34. Obama's record on the war is not what he claims it is

While running for Senate in 2003, Sen. Obama acknowledged that he took his anti-war speech off his campaign website, calling it 'dated.' Specifically, State Senator Obama maintains that an October 2002 anti-war speech was removed from his campaign web site because - the speech was dated once the formal phase of the war was over, and my staff's desire to continually provide fresh news clips."

In 2004, Sen. Obama said he didn’t know how he would have voted on the Iraq War resolution. When asked about Senators Kerry and Edwards' votes on the Iraq war, Obama said, "I'm not privy to Senate intelligence reports,’ Mr. Obama said. ‘What would I have done? I don't know. What I know is that from my vantage point the case was not made.’ -- Note: No one disputes that Sen. Obama opposed the war from his "vantage point" as a part-time state senator in Illinois. The point we are making is that Sen. Obama acknowledged that he did not know how he would have voted had his vantage point been from the U.S. Senate.

In 2004, Sen. Obama also said there was little difference between his position and George Bush’s position on Iraq. In a meeting with Chicago Tribune reporters at the Democratic National Convention, Obama said, "On Iraq, on paper, there's not as much difference, I think, between the Bush administration and a Kerry administration as there would have been a year ago. <...> There's not much of a difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage."

Until he ran for president, Sen. Obama supported every funding bill for Iraq, some $300 billion. <2005 Vote # 117, HR1268, 5/10/05; 2005 Vote # 326, S1042, 11/15/05; 2006 Vote # 112, HR4939, 5/4/06; 2006 Vote # 239; 2006 Vote # 186, S2766, 6/22/06, HR5631, 9/7/06>

Sen. Obama waited 18 months to give his first speech on the Senate floor devoted to Iraq, in which he opposed a timeline for withdrawal. Obama said "I'm also acutely aware that a precipitous withdrawal of our troops, driven by Congressional edict rather than the realities on the ground, will not undo the mistakes made by this Administration. It could compound them."

Sen. Obama didn't introduce legislation to end the Iraq war until he started running for president.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=5161

[Samantha]

37. Excellent!

Thanks for posting this.

[JAbuchan08]

38. As he should

every attack that the Clintons direct at him detracts from the fact that they have a worse record on that particular issue.