Clinton resists a tempting turn on the Iraq war
There was an interesting scene on the Iowa campaign trail late today with Hillary Clinton resisting yet again the temptation for the easiest way out on the Iraq war, to follow some of her Democratic competitors and promise a quick exit. It wasn't a dramatic moment. But it was revealing.
As campaigning candidates are programmed to do, Clinton had already tried to make her news of the day earlier in Cedar Rapids with a major speech on economic policy, as reported on this website by our Mark Z. Barabak.
Maybe it was designed to take the edge off the Republican debate Tuesday on economic policy. Maybe not.
Then came the third stop of her campaign day, at the Gigglin' Goat restaurant in Boone, Iowa, hometown to President Eisenhower's wife, Mamie. Actually, it isn't a restaurant yet. It's under construction. So there was a lot of room for several hundred Iowans to see the wannabe president in person. Barabak was there too.
As disciplined candidates are supposed to do to avoid walking on their own campaign message of the day, Clinton repeated the theme of her economic remarks. Then she uttered her standard line about the current administration. “I have said that if President Bush does not end the war in Iraq before he leaves office, when I am president I will.”
There was a huge round of applause, interspersed with cheers. Big enthusiasm.
But then she went on: “You know, sometimes people say to me, ‘Well, how soon you gonna get everybody out? How soon are they gonna get home?' And the answer is, as soon as we can. Because the problem is we don’t know what we’re going to inherit from the Bush-Cheney administration.”
“As soon as I get there," Clinton said, "I will call my secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my security advisors and we will immediately set in motion a plan to bring our troops home.” More applause, but this time far more tepid.
“I think it’s important that we recognize there are no good solutions here. We’re inheriting a very difficult situation and in part it’s difficult because this administration has engaged in so many misjudgments and miscalculations and mistakes that it appears they’re going to leave it all to their successors. I think that’s the height of irresponsibility. But I am prepared to shoulder that responsibility.” She wasn't interrupted by applause this time.
“But I want everybody to know how difficult it will be because it’s not just bringing our troops home. How are we going to deal with all the other problems that we’re going to face? This administration has alienated our friends and emboldened our enemies.”
The New York senator went on for another 10 minutes or so on other familiar campaign themes. And they loved her. All except for that war reality-check stuff.
--Andrew Malcolm
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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Nader 2008!
Posted by: Chris F | October 08, 2007 at 11:11 PM
She sure avoided setting a date for withdrawal. After reading this I would guess the troops will be heading home if Barack or Hillary wins in about the end of 2012. Hillary will say anything to get votes, as long as it is not a promise and doesn't offend her republican comrades too much. They are all working together now for sure.
RON PAUL is our only hope of not losing our freedom, our pride and our sanity.
RON PAUL!!!!!!
Posted by: Patrick | October 09, 2007 at 05:28 AM
For the first time, a majority of Democrats nationwide supports Clinton for their party's nomination. Clinton's support in the Washington Post-ABC News poll jumped 12 points from last month, to 53 percent. She's 33 points ahead of her closest competitor, Sen. Barack Obama.
Posted by: Jerome | October 09, 2007 at 09:56 AM
Iowans are going to be surprised with the disconnect between what Clinton is saying in her campaign stops and what she says at the Presidential debates when pressed on when she'll bring our troops home. She's already displayed poor judgment on Iraq in voting for the war. We shouldn't have to trust her to get it right after she takes office.
If Clinton can't figure out today that the war is a disaster and won't make a commitment to bring them home by a date certain, she doesn't deserve the support of Democrats.
Posted by: Stephen Cassidy | October 09, 2007 at 04:34 PM
Why in he world should we trust Ms. Clinton. When she is the leader of the consenting war party which stands in lock stepto with the other war party, the republican party. They are the same, they vote the same,they declare their so called differences while voting the same way year on year.
It will be more of the same under Clinton. It is sad when we all know the truth and will not act on it. We have been led by people who create fear in our ranks and through fear they can pass any law they wish. To our loss for ever.All the while the defense corporations lick their chopsand line their pockets while 40,000 young American dead and wounded pay the price.
Posted by: Alexis Kirk | October 11, 2007 at 03:15 AM