The Political Chase

Clinton’s 2005 Iraq Statement Makes Her Unelectable Against McCain

I’m beginning to wonder if Hillary can do any more damage to the Democratic Party than she’s already done, regardless of how long she stays in the race. This statement Clinton made in 2005 on Iraq should convince John McCain and Democrats she’s the best person to be the Republican Party’s Vice Presidential nominee.

"Senator McCain made the point earlier today, which I agree with, and that is, it’s not so much a question of time when it comes to American military presence for the average American; I include myself in this. But it is a question of casualties," said Clinton. "We don’t want to see our young men and women dying and suffering these grievous injuries that so many of them have. We’ve been in South Korea for 50-plus years. We’ve been in Europe for 50-plus. We’re still in Okinawa with respect to protection there coming out of World War II."

In the unlikely event that Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, the Republicans will tear her to pieces on her Iraq position alone. This will be run in GOP ads 24-hours a day until the November election and will also render useless the highly effective ad the DNC released last week.

Moreover, this further emphasizes no one can believe anything Hillary says. On April 5, 2008, Clinton said she was against the Iraq war before Barack Obama was. She based her incredulous argument on the premise that the record must begin in 2005, not 2002 when Obama vehemently, and publicly, spoke out against the war.

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.)

OK, let the record reflect 2005.