Clinton Supporters, please explain to me why she won't admit the IWR vote was a mistake? [View All]

[Meldread]

I think Hillary did a great job in the debate. I am very proud of both their performances - I am very proud to be a Democrat tonight. I believe this is the best debate we've had so far, and I wish the others were this substantive.

I feel walking away from the debate that what we're really faced with here are two people who, for the most part, agree on policy. What we are voting on is a style of leadership.

At the end, Hillary simply could not say her vote for the war in Iraq was a mistake. This was one of the major reasons I am not voting for her - I was against the war from the beginning. I do not believe Hillary is either naive nor stupid, but that seems to be her rational for voting for the war - that she was bamboozled by Bush. I believe her vote was a political calculation, and to me - to vote for a war that has ended with the deaths of thousands of American's and Iraqi's to score political points... it is hard to swallow.

She was given an opportunity tonight to say that her vote was a mistake. I think if she had admitted that it was a mistake I could have forgiven her for her vote. I understand her mindset about not wanting to seem weak, but I do not understand why she cannot say: "Look, at the time when I was faced with casting my vote, I believed I was making the right decision. It's easy in retrospect to say it was a bad choice - it was - I did make a mistake - but now moving forward I am prepared to change course and do the right thing."

Why couldn't Hillary say that - or something like that? It effectively lets her have it both ways. I need to hear Hillary admit that she made a mistake. After eight years of George Bush, who has given us nothing but mistake after mistake, I need to hear our next President admit that they are not infallible.

Tonight, Obama made the point that when he picks his cabinet and his Vice President, he does not want yes people. He wants people who will tell him no, and he pointed out and made clear that sometimes he won't make the right decisions. I see this as a very clear difference between Hillary and Obama in their styles of leadership.

EDIT: Looking forward we are likely to go up against John McCain. His core issue - his only issue - is war and in particular the war in Iraq. I do not see how Hillary can face him and win in that debate.