Clinton: ‘It’s just not fair’ (re: Iraq War Vote criticism)

[Herman Munster]

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/clinton-its-just-not-fair-2007-03-22.html

Former President Bill Clinton yesterday complained that “it’s just not fair” the way his wife, presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), is being depicted for her controversial Iraq war vote. Speaking to hundreds of supporters on conference call, the former president said, “I don’t have a problem with anything Barack Obama said on this,” but “to characterize Hillary and Obama’s positions on the war as polar opposites is ludicrous.

“This dichotomy that’s been set up to allow him to become the raging hero of the anti-war crowd on the Internet is just factually inaccurate.” The ex-president’s aggressive defense of his wife’s position revealed frustration in the Clinton camp over how the issue is playing into the already-overheated presidential campaign. On a conference call with Hillraisers, Sen. Clinton’s biggest donors, which The Hill listened to after being provided the call-in information, the former president said there was a stark difference between those who voted for the Iraq resolution and those who wanted to go to war.

In response to a question from one of the supporters on the phone about explaining Hillary Clinton’s Iraq vote to undecided voters, the former president jumped in front of former Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe, saying, “Let me answer this.” He said he had re-read the Iraq resolution last week, and that his wife had voted only for “coercive inspections.” Clinton justified his wife’s refusal to apologize for her vote by explaining that she was acting out of concern that future presidents might need similar language authorizing “coercive inspections to avoid conflict.”

“It’s just not fair to say that people who voted for the resolution wanted war,” Clinton said. The former president also quoted an interview with Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) in this month’s GQ magazine, explaining that Hagel’s justification for his vote on the war is very similar to Hillary Clinton’s. “All these people who criticize Hillary all the time all love Hagel for being a critic of the war,” Clinton said.

[ixion]

1. hey, bill, she supported the illegal invasion, that's a fact.

end of discussion.

[William769]

2. So did John Edwards.

So whats your point?

[ixion]

3. I don't support people who support Wars of Aggression

that is my point.

[William769]

4. Neither one of them supported a war on aggression.

:eyes:

[ixion]

9. revisionist history: they both voted for it: ergo, they supported it

I don't know what is so difficult to understand.

[robinlynne]

8. John Edwards stood up against the war. He voted wrong; he admitted the vote was wrong.

and he firmly stated he is against the war.

[ixion]

10. a mea culpa apology works for missing a lunch date

I don't know if the same can apply to a vote that resulted in war crimes.

[robinlynne]

14. It's a hell of a lot more than hillary did, which is the context we're speaking in.

[ixion]

16. I agree

and as far as 'ranking' goes, Edwards ranks well above Hillary, IMO.

[The Count]

18. Not when he SPONSORED IWR he doesn't!

http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SJ00046:@@@P

[Nutmegger]

33. He co-sponsored it.

The true sponsor is LIARman.

I guess you don't feel that people can redeem themselves?

[The Count]

35. Not by saying "oops!" "Now vote for me! And let's attack Iran!"

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Edwards_Iran_must_know_world_wont_0123.html

In a speech at a conference in Herzliya, Israel, former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) took aim at Iran, warning that the "world won't back down."

[William769]

28. Which context.

It's apologist all the same just like repukes.

[The Count]

20. Which war did he stand against? he was just threatening Iran the other day....

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Edwards_Iran_must_know_world_wont_0123.html

In a speech at a conference in Herzliya, Israel, former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) took aim at Iran, warning that the "world won't back down."

[Hardrada]

5. Life isn't fair.

To quote Jimmy Carter.

[robinlynne]

6. too late Bill. She had plenty of chances to say she is against the war.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Defending an indefensible vote with an indefensible cop-out.

[BayCityProgressive]

11. Wow fuck Bill Clinton

he bloviated for years and wouldn't take an anti-war position while thousands were slaughtered and he played golf with poppy Bush. Now the poll worshiping Clinton's want to re-write history so that Hillary can get in the White House and fuck this country over even more. Fuck them both.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. Disagree? You Are A Republican Who Hates Powerful Women

Isn't it obvious?

(Did Bill bite his lip? I love it when he does that one.)

[MannyGoldstein]

24. Hey Bill - Go Play Some More Golf With Poppy Bush

It'll make you feel better.

Might even get a better seat at his table.

[Moochy]

13. Feh

Hurray for Interrupted Dynastic Presidencies! Long Live the Plutocracy!

[youngdem]

15. I know you gotta do it Bill, but this is bullshit

And you know it.

Your wife FUCKED UP by sucking up to AIPAC and the DLC. Their plan of Repuke-lite warmongering didn't work. Dead Americans are everywhere, and we've blown our treasury and credibility.

Obama didn't support this. He wasn't a messiah, no. But he was right and your wife is wrong and unable to admit it due to her political aspirations, and that makes her worthless to me.

Simply, she's wrong on the issues and trapped by her votes. She is toast.

[rodeodance]

17. good point Bill. calling Hil pro-war is a way out for many.

[sendero]

19. Straw man..

... it isn't just the vote. It's the fact that HRC, up until she KNEW it wouldn't fly politically (which was only a few months ago), was not really against the war.

The record of her comments is there for anyone to see.

Sorry Bill, that dog is not going to hunt.

[B Calm]

21. Bill, you do realize she wants to leave US troops in Iraq forever?

[dysfunctional press]

31. i'm sure he's very aware and supportive of that fact.

dlc democrat is a contradiction in terms.

[shoopnyc]

22. If they were given fucked up intel...

,they were given fucked up intel. Congress aren't mind readers. They rely on what they get.

[B Calm]

23. Even we knew before the war.. You'd think though a couple days

into the war when Iraq didn't use though WMD's against an invading army Hillary would have said ooops, I screwed up.

[MedleyMisty]

25. Funny, guess I am a mind reader

because I knew it was wrong.

[kath]

26. Aw, c'mon Bill. Anyone with half a brain realized that the resolution was a Blank Check,

or at the very least that it was going to be seen as one by the Chimperor.

[TwilightGardener]

27. He's got a point that people have lauded Hagel for criticizing the

war even though he also voted for it, like Hillary. The difference is, Hagel is on record as saying he regrets his war vote in that same GQ article--Hillary apparently does not regret hers.

[BeyondGeography]

29. The fact is in October of 2002, Obama and Hillary were indeed polar opposites on IWR

This is being replayed again and again, and it doesn't benefit Hillary.

[in_cog_ni_to]

30. That's a new one! "She voted for coercive inspections"

????? He has got to be kidding. They better think of a better excuse or just fucking admit it was wrong and apologize for it. What's so damn hard about that? The psycho LIED about why we needed to invade, we now know he LIED and the damn occupation is a freakin' DISASTER. Just admit it was wrong and this whole freakin' issue goes away! Sheesh Bill.

[sandnsea]

32. It's also the 4 years AFTER the vote

When there was opportunity after opportunity to oppose Bush AND correct the WMD intelligence - but the Clintons chose to let Bush "make a mistake" and focus on winning the war. And tie Kerry's hands in the process as the Clinton wing chose to appeal to right wingers who were never going to vote against this war in 2004 anyway.

[LaPera]

34. Hillary's bullshit stand is backfiring and Bill's crying about his strategy not working...

It was a dumb political move, She should be able to say it was a fuck up....instead to say see I'm strong...I never flip-flop, I'm my own person, I'm Hillary and this is my hubby Billy, were both corporate conservative democrats from the fucking DLC...makes me want to throw up...

But what does he expect, well it's just all one big power game with them anyway.

[jobycom]

36. And THIS, folks, is why candidates are told not to defend themselves.

Clinton's statements are completely true, but all they do is add fodder to his enemies and become the butt of jokes. That's why Gore and Kerry didn't "defend" themselves.