HRC: Obama’s Iraq Plan: Just Words

[BobbyVan]

http://thepage.time.com/clinton-camp-memo-on-obamas-iraq-stance/

To: Interested Parties

From: The Clinton Campaign

Date: March 8, 2008

RE: Obama’s Iraq Plan: Just Words

Once again, it looks like Senator Obama is telling voters one thing while his campaign says those words should not to be mistaken for serious action.

After months of speeches from Senator Obama promising a hard end date to the Iraq war, his top foreign policy adviser that counseled his campaign during that period is on the record saying that Senator Obama will “not rely on some plan that he’s crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator.”

Voters already have serious questions about whether Senator Obama is ready to be Commander-in-Chief. Now there are questions about whether he’s serious about the Iraq plan he’s discussed for the last year on the campaign trail.

Senator Obama has made hard end dates about Iraq a centerpiece of his campaign and has repeatedly attacked Senator Clinton for not being clear about her intentions with regard to troop withdrawal.

It turns out those attacks and speeches were just words. And if you can’t trust Senator Obama’s words, what’s left?

This latest incident is part of a larger pattern where Senator Obama doesn’t deliver on the promises he makes on the campaign trail — whether it’s his 2004 Senate race or his 2008 White House campaign.

In 2003, Senator Obama said he was for a single payer health system, but now opposes plans that cover every American. He promised to repeal the Patriot Act, but then voted to extend it. He promised to normalize relations with Cuba, but flip-flopped when he started running for president.

In 2008, Senator Obama rails against NAFTA in Ohio while his top economic advisor assures the Canadians his rhetoric is just “political positioning.” He promises to opt in to public financing if the GOP nominee does, but then breaks that pledge in real time. He promises to withdraw from Iraq within 16 months, and now his top foreign policy adviser says that he’s not relying on the plan.

With a short record to run on, Senator Obama’s entire campaign is based on the speeches he makes on the campaign trail. So when he and his advisers dismiss the plans he touts on the stump, it undermines his entire candidacy.

Americans have heard plenty of speeches. It’s time they got serious solutions and that’s what Hillary is going to deliver when she is President.

[LaurenG]

1. Lets see as far as I know they can BOTH only put forth "words"

at this point. :shrug:

[NightWatcher]

2. and Hillary is a beacon of truth?

she only compliments McCain not other Democrats

[TwilightGardener]

3. She's still lying her stupid ass off about NAFTA, even though that's

been debunked, and nothing Power said contradicted Obama's goal for Iraq. The Monster can go fuck herself. I'll do everything I can to keep her out of the White House.

[wileedog]

4. Like When

"It’s time they got serious solutions and that’s what Hillary is going to deliver when she is President."

Like when she delivered universal healthcare in the early 90s?

[lligrd]

5. While Clinton Puts Forth Just Rhetoric nt

[shadowknows69]

6. And when he's President those words will become action

[spindrifter]

7. So what's Obama supposed to do--

avoid all words or take over the military right now and do something? This "argument" of HC's is ridiculous whining.

[BobbyVan]

8. He can start by changing the lies on his website

Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/

[sniffa]

9. This has got to be the biggest fairy tale.

I mean, give - me - a break.

http://images.google.com/url?q=&usg=AFQjCNE48EO0c1_0n0eVx_CUWaOlv8DCyA

[JimGinPA]

10. Is That From A Fundraiser Email?

[dailykoff]

11. Uh, that's what platforms are, words.

What a lamer. Somebody call the dog catcher.

[BobbyVan]

12. Which words should we believe?

Those from his policy adviser, or those from his website?

Is everything Obama promises a "best case scenario"?

[dailykoff]

16. Believe the candidate whose words match the voting record.

That's Obama. Hillary's story changes by the hour but her votes tell the story plainly.

[BobbyVan]

20. Obama voted to fund the war... until he started running for president

What will happen when he gets into office? His foreign policy "guru" says that he'll "revisit" his plans when he becomes president.

[Bluerthanblue]

13. here are comments from the last debate-

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, if the Iraqis said I'm sorry, we're not happy with this arrangement; if you're not going to stay in total and defend us, get out completely; they are a sovereign nation, you would listen?

SEN. CLINTON: Absolutely. And I believe that there is no military solution that the Americans who have been valiant in doing everything they were asked to do can really achieve in the absence of full cooperation from the Iraqi government. And --

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask -- let me ask you this, Senator. I want to ask you --

SEN. CLINTON: And they need to take responsibility for themselves. And --

MR. RUSSERT: I want to ask both of you this question, then. If we -- if this scenario plays out and the Americans get out in total and al Qaeda resurges and Iraq goes to hell, do you hold the right, in your mind as American president, to re-invade, to go back into Iraq to stabilize it?

SEN. CLINTON: You know, Tim, you ask a lot of hypotheticals. And I believe that what's --

MR. RUSSERT: But this is reality.

SEN. CLINTON: No -- well, it isn't reality. You're -- you're -- you're making lots of different hypothetical assessments.

I believe that it is in America's interests and in the interests of the Iraqis for us to have an orderly withdrawal. I've been saying for many months that the administration has to do more to plan, and I've been pushing them to actually do it. I've also said that I would begin to withdraw within 60 days based on a plan that I asked begun to be put together as soon as I became president.

And I think we can take out one to two brigades a month. I've also been a leader in trying to prevent President Bush from getting us committed to staying in Iraq regardless for as long as Senator McCain and others have said it might be, 50 to a hundred years.

So, when you talk about what we need to do in Iraq, we have to make judgments about what is in the best interest of America. And I believe this is in the best interest.

But I also have heard Senator Obama refer continually to Afghanistan, and he references being on the Foreign Relations Committee. He chairs the Subcommittee on Europe. It has jurisdiction over NATO. NATO is critical to our mission in Afghanistan. He's held not one substantive hearing to do oversight, to figure out what we can do to actually have a stronger presence with NATO in Afghanistan.

She simply won't answer the question- Talk about 'just words'- that is all she is good for, and even THEN she won't give a direct answer to a direct question. She deflects the pressure off of her, and uses the question to try and slam her opponent.

You think you are going to get 'serious solutions' from Hillary? HA- so did I back in the 90's when I bought the Clintons promise of national health care- How's that working out for you? As for me, I'm now uninsurable,(pre-existing conditions) and coping with the reality that I probably wont live to see my youngest child graduate from HS. (4yrs).

[BobbyVan]

15. A responsible leader doesn't engage in hypotheticals, unlike Obama.

He is pledging to have all combat troops out of Iraq by the end of 2009. Period.

His foreign policy adviser says otherwise.

At least Clinton doesn't make promises she won't be able to keep.

[Bluerthanblue]

21. oh bullshit- how about her healthcare promises?

and NO- his foreign policy adviser does NOT say otherwise. (nor did she)

Do your homework before you go casting aspersions- don't just parrot your Queen.

peace~

[jefferson_dem]

14. Hillary has relegated herself to full-time bottom-feeder.

Gross. :puke:

[Cha]

18. "There's just no hypocricy like

Hilary Hypocricy".

[Cha]

17. hilary starts lying in the morning just to

flavor her bacon..desperate tough woman voted for the Iraqi War Reslution and wishes everyone would just the fuck forget it.

[EFerrari]

19. Hillary's negative attacks: Just embarrassing.