The Political Chase

Another whopper: Clinton opposes war before Obama, and more

I’m sure you know that feeling of embarrassment you get when someone does something so wrong or ridiculous that you personally get embarrassed, but you had nothing to do with it? Well, Clinton’s whoppers have become so frequent and outrageous that it embarrasses me and I have no reason to be embarrassed other than I’m a Democrat. Yesterday, Clinton really laid one on saying she opposed the war in Iraq before Barack Obama did.

There was peace in Northern Ireland, the rant in Ohio over NAFTA, sniper fire in Bosnia, the Watergate firing, and the revelation just yesterday about the Ohio hospital and "related" deaths. That’s not all by any means, but it is more than enough. Moreover, I don’t believe I’m the only one getting a sense of uncomfortableness with all of this. Matthew Yglesias says, "please stop."

There is something seriously wrong when the press exposes Clinton’s whopper about the Ohio deaths deaths at 5:25 AM yesterday, and then she lies falsely claims in a stump speech later that day, among other things, she opposed the war in Iraq before Barack Obama. Moreover, she pointedly said, "that happens to be the facts." She can’t claim sleep deprivation this time after adding that to her lie untruth.

Jake Tapper has the details, but here is an excerpt.

In Eugene, Ore., Saturday. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., attempted to change the measure by which anyone might assess who criticized the Iraq war first, her or Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., by saying those keeping records should start in January 2005, when Obama joined the Senate. (A measure that conveniently avoids her October 2002 vote to authorize use of force against Iraq at a time that Obama was speaking out against the war.) She claimed that using that measure, she criticized the war in Iraq before Obama did.

But Clinton’s claim was false.

Clinton on Saturday told Oregonians, "when Sen. Obama came to the Senate he and I have voted exactly the same except for one vote. And that happens to be the facts. We both voted against early deadlines. I actually starting criticizing the war in Iraq before he did."

It’s an odd way to measure opposition to the war — comparing who gave the first criticism of the war in Iraq starting in January 2005, ignoring Obama’s opposition to the war throughout 2003 and 2004. (And Clinton’s vote for it.)

But even if one were to employ this "Start Counting in January 2005" measurement, Clinton did not criticize the war in Iraq first.