Hillary Clinton and Iraq: Why This is Important [View All]

[FrenchieCat]

A major theme of Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been that her experience makes her best prepared among the Democrats to assume the Presidency. In citing that experience, she is presumably claiming more than mere longevity in public life; she is asserting that her record over the years shows leadership, including the character and judgment Democrats and Americans would want in a President.

In stressing this as a 1 ½ term senator, she also implicitly suggests that former President Clinton would play a significant role in her administration as he is in her campaign. His prominent role in her campaign has caused it to increasingly be referred to as that of "Billary" Clinton. It is critical in assessing her claims to look in some detail at the most important vote she has cast while holding office, that authorizing President Bush to invade Iraq, as well as the handling of the issue of the Iraq war in her campaign.

In the Senate debate in October 2002 on the vote on whether to give President Bush authority to invade Iraq, Senator Clinton made a well crafted and carefully thought out argument. In it she gave very much of an on the one hand but on the other hand speech, ultimately voting, of course, for authorization for war. In describing the rationale for approving the carte blanche given Bush, she focused on Saddam’s alleged efforts to rebuild his WMD program, including his nuclear program, as well as his links to al-Qaida, to whom she claimed he was giving "aid, comfort and sanctuary." She claimed that Saddam’s ongoing WMD programs and links to al-Qaida, were "undisputed." At the close of her speech she stressed that she cast this vote "with conviction" and asked President Bush to use these powers "wisely." She has admitted that she never read the National Intelligence Report relating to Iraq.

It is common knowledge now that neither of her premises were correct. It is also clear that there was ample information in the intelligence community readily available at the time undercutting both assertions. Saddam had no WMD program, no nuclear program and no links to al-Qaida. Indeed Saddam and al-Qaida were enemies, the former the tyrannical ruler of a secular dictatorship and the latter religious fanatics. Not only was the alleged "link" nonexistent, it made no sense. Her request that President Bush use the powers she granted him "wisely" was classic abdication of responsibility when it was evident that the Bush Administration was determined to invade Iraq for reasons unrelated to alleged WMDs or links to al-Qaida. After the passage of that resolution the war was inevitable.

Senator Clinton insists that she has no regrets about her vote, and has said simply said that if she’d known then what she knows now she would have voted differently, without ever explaining what she’s learned that would have changed her vote.

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http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/02/hillary_clinton_2.html