SEN. CLINTON AND BILL RE-WRITING HISTORY ON IRAQ
Former President Bill Clinton Claimed That He Has Been Against The Iraq War From The Beginning:
"Former President Bill Clinton Portrayed Himself As Having Been Against The Iraq War ‘From The Beginning' While Campaigning Tuesday For His Wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, In Iowa." (Teddy Davis, Eloise Harper, and Nancy Flores, "Bill Clinton Rewrites History On Iraq?" ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, www.abcnews.com, 11/27/07)
"During A Campaign Swing For His Wife, Former President Bill Clinton Said Flatly Yesterday That He Opposed The War In Iraq ‘From The Beginning' - A Statement That Is More Absolute Than His Comments Before The Invasion In March 2003." (Patrick Healy, "Bill Clinton Flatly Asserts He Opposed War At Start," The New York Times, 11/28/07)
But Previously, Clinton Defended The War In Iraq:
Clinton Defended The Mission In Iraq As Part Of The Larger War On Terror And Also Stated "That's Why I Supported The Iraq Thing." Clinton: "So, you're sitting there as President, you're reeling in the aftermath of [September 11], so, yeah, you want to go get bin Laden and do Afghanistan and all that. But you also have to say, well, my first responsibility now is to try everything possible to make sure that this terrorist network and other terrorist networks cannot reach chemical and biological weapons or small amounts of fissile material. I've got to do that. That's why I supported the Iraq thing." ("His Side Of The Story," Time, 6/28/04)
Clinton Bid Saddam "Good Riddance" And Praised Action Taken Against Him. "‘Saddam is gone and good riddance,' former President Bill Clinton said yesterday. Clinton also said Bush should not be faulted if banned weapons of mass destruction aren't found. ‘I don't think you can criticize the President for trying to act on the belief that they have a substantial amount of chemical and biological stock. ... That is what I was always told.'" (Joel Siegel, "W Fought A Good Fight, Clinton Says," [New York] Daily News, 4/16/03)
Clinton: "I supported the president when he asked the Congress for authority to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iraq." (Former President Bill Clinton, Remarks At Tougaloo College Commencement, Jackson, MS, 5/18/03)
On The Campaign Trail, Democrat Presidential Candidate Sen. Clinton Claims That If She Had Been President In 2002, She Would Not Have Started The Iraq War:
Sen. Clinton: "If I had been president in October of 2002, I would not have started this war." (Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Remarks At Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2/2/07)
Sen. Clinton: "We never should have gone there. ... [B]ut we are there now and we have to end the war in the right way." (Beth Fouhy, "Clintons Make Rare Public Appearance Together At Major New York Fundraiser," The Associated Press, 3/19/07)
But In 2002 And 2003, Sen. Clinton Voted "With Conviction" For The Use Of Force Authorization Against Iraq And Said It Was The "Right Decision":
Sen. Clinton: "[B]ut the fundamental fact remains that this man posed a threat to his neighbors. There is no doubt in anyone's mind - because we had already seen him use it - that he would have employed weapons of mass destruction at some future date. Although we may have gone a little too far, we believe we made the right decision." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congressional Record, 10/17/03, p. S12828)
Sen. Clinton: "This is a difficult vote. This is probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make. Any vote that may lead to war should be hard, but I cast it with conviction. ... So it is with conviction that I support his resolution as being in the best interests of our nation." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congressional Record, 10/10/02, pp. S10289-S10290)
- "Perhaps My Decision Is Influenced By My 8 Years Of Experience On The Other End Of Pennsylvania Avenue In The White House Watching My Husband Deal With Serious Challenges To Our Nation." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Congressional Record, 10/10/02, p. S10289)
SEN. CLINTON'S FLIP FLOP ON IRAQ FUNDING
During Gen. Petraeus' Confirmation Hearing Before The Senate Armed Services Committee In January 2007, Sen. Clinton Had One Question; Asking The General To Request Whatever Funding Was Necessary To Keep Troops Safe:
"[Sen. Clinton] Urged Petraeus To Ask Congress For All Resources Necessary To Provide The Troops With The Adequate Equipment." (Roxana Tiron, "Petraeus Criticizes Anti-Surge Resolutions During Hearing," The Hill, 1/24/07)
Sen. Clinton Asked Gen. Petraeus To Request "Every Possible Piece Of Equipment And Resource Necessary To Protect" The Troops. Sen. Clinton: "So the one thing that I would ask General is, please do everything you can to get additional security. The Humvees are turning into death traps, as we see the sophistication of the IEDs. We don't have enough of the mine protection vehicles and we haven't even ordered enough and we haven't put them into the theater. If we're going to put these soldiers and marines into these very exposed positions, which this strategy calls for, please come to us; ask for whatever you need to try to provide maximum protection. ... [L]et's make sure we have every possible piece of equipment and resource necessary to protect these young men and women ..." Gen. Petraeus: "I'll do that Senator." (Committee On The Armed Services, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 1/23/07)
In May, Sen. Clinton Said She Would "Of Course" Support Funding For The Troops:
"Clinton Said She ‘Of Course' Eventually Will Support A Measure Paying For The Troops..." (Mike Glover, "Clinton Won't Set Early Fund Restriction," The Associated Press, 5/7/07)
- "[Sen. Clinton] Declined To Say What Restrictions Should Be Included In New Stopgap Legislation To Pay For The Troops, But Made Clear She Supports Providing The Money Needed." (Mike Glover, "Clinton Won't Set Early Fund Restriction," The Associated Press, 5/7/07)
But Just Weeks Later, Sen. Clinton Voted Against Legislation To Fund The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan:
Sen. Clinton Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Clinton Voted Nay)
- Sen. Clinton: "Tonight I voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill because it fails to compel the President to give our troops a new strategy in Iraq. I believe that the President should begin a phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq and abandon this escalation." (Hillary Clinton For President, "From The Senate: Statement Of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton On The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill," Press Release, 5/24/07)
NOTE: Sen. Clinton Also Voted Against $70 Billion In Emergency Iraq Funding In November. (S. 2340, CQ Vote #410: Rejected 45-53: R 44-3; D 0-49; I 1-1, 11/16/07, Clinton Voted Nay)
The FY 2007 Iraq Emergency Spending Bill Provided Nearly $1.8 Billion For Veterans Medical Care, Including:
- $595 million for medical facilities
- $228.982 million in additional funds to treat veterans of the global war on terror
- $20 million for vet centers and re-adjustment counseling
- $30 million to establish at least one new Level I comprehensive polytrauma center
- $9.4 million for operations costs associated with the establishment of new polytrauma residential transitional rehabilitation programs
- $10 million for additional transition caseworkers to work with separating veterans and their families
- $10 million for rehabilitation programs for vision impaired veterans
- $100 million for enhancements to mental health services
- $20 million for substance abuse treatment programs
- $8 million for poly trauma clinic support teams
- $25 million for prosthetics
- $250 million for the administration of the VA health care system
- $32.5 million for medical and prosthetic research
- $83.2 million for general operating expenses
- $326 million in construction funding for VA-identified needs
(House And Senate Committees On Appropriations, "Summary Of The Fiscal 2007 Supplemental Funding Legislation," Press Release, 5/24/07)
SEN. CLINTON'S IRAQ REWRITE
Sen. Clinton Claims She Supported The Iraq War Resolution In Part Because It Was Drafted By Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE):
Sen. Clinton And Former President Bill Clinton Say That Sen. Hagel's Involvement In Drafting The Use Of Force Authorization Against Iraq Is Proof That The Measure Was Intended To Put Pressure On Saddam Hussein. "In interviews and at a recent campaign event, [Bill and Hillary Clinton] have said that Mr. Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, helped draft the resolution, which they said was proof that the measure was more about urging Saddam Hussein to comply with weapons inspections, instead of authorizing combat." (Eric Lipton, "In Defending War Vote, Clintons Contradict Record," The New York Times, 1/14/08)
But The Use Of Force Authorization Sen. Clinton Supported Was Not The Measure Drafted By Sen. Hagel:
"It Was The White House Proposal, Not Mr. Hagel's, That Mrs. Clinton Supported, Explaining In An Oct. 10, 2002, Speech On The Senate Floor That It Was Time To Tell Saddam Hussein That ‘This Is Your Last Chance - Disarm Or Be Disarmed.'" (Eric Lipton, "In Defending War Vote, Clintons Contradict Record," The New York Times, 1/14/08)
- The Resolution Drafted By Sen. Hagel Is Not The One That Sen. Clinton Voted For. "In the original proposal Mr. Hagel had backed, force was authorized only to secure the destruction of Iraq's unconventional weapons, not to enforce ‘all relevant' United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq, which was the language in the version that ultimately passed." (Eric Lipton, "In Defending War Vote, Clintons Contradict Record," The New York Times, 1/14/08)
Sen. Clinton Said She Was Only Voting For A Diplomatic Solution In Iraq, But Voted Against Legislation Requiring The President To Exhaust All Diplomatic Options:
Sen. Clinton: "I have taken responsibility for that vote. It was based on the best assessment that I could make at the time, and it was clearly intended to demonstrate support for going to the United Nations to put inspectors into Iraq." (John DiStaso, "Hillary: I Didn't Vote For ‘Pre-Emptive War,'" The [Manchester] Union Leader, 2/10/07)
"Senator Carl Levin, Democrat Of Michigan, Unsuccessfully Offered An Approach That Would Have Required Mr. Bush To Return To Congress For A Second Approval If He Was Unable To Build An International Coalition For A Move Against Iraq." (Elizabeth Bumiller and Carl Hulse, "Threats And Responses: The Overview," The New York Times, 10/12/02)
- Sen. Clinton Voted Against The Levin Amendment. (S.J. Res. 45, CQ Vote #235: Rejected 24-75: R 1-47; D 22-28; I 1-0, 10/10/02, Clinton Voted Nay)
Sen. Clinton's Vote Against The Levin Amendment Undercuts Her Argument That She Was Voting For A Diplomatic Solution In Iraq:
Sen. Clinton Biographer Carl Bernstein Says She Was "Disingenuous In Explaining Her Vote" On The Iraq War. Carl Bernstein: "The point is that she was disingenuous in explaining her vote [on the Iraq war]. And in fact, she has been rather consistent in her philosophy. Support the President. She believes in supporting presidents. She was in the White House for eight years. But when she said that I voted for that resolution because I expected...George Bush to go back to the U.N., there is no one that I know in the U.S. Senate that believes that is why she voted for it. Because she voted against the so-called Levin amendment that would have required the President to go back to the U.N." (PBS' "The Charlie Rose Show," 6/4/07)
Democrat Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) Said That "Everyone Knew What That Vote Was About." MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "I still am in wonder of how Hillary Clinton can keep saying she didn't vote for the war." Sen. Webb: "Well, I think everybody knew what that vote was about." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 10/2/07)
