Clinton Camp: Obama Opposed The War, But What Has He Done Lately?

The Clinton camp has issued a memo criticizing Obama's work on national security issues at the beginning of this week's 5th anniversary of the Iraq War:

To: Interested Parties From: The Clinton Campaign Date: March 17, 2008 RE: Just Words for Five Years

Over the last few weeks, the question of who is most ready to be Commander-in-Chief has rightfully dominated the presidential campaign. Who is ready to take the 3am call? Who has a record of action on national security issues? Who is ready to be president on day one?

Senator Clinton has worked to answer these questions by presenting her record to voters and enabling them to judge her based on the record she has amassed during her 35 years of public service - as a first lady who traveled to 82 countries and as a U.S. Senator who sits on the Armed Services Committee.

Lacking a comparable record, Senator Obama has premised his campaign on just words, most notably the resounding speech he delivered in October 2002 against the Iraq war.

But with the fifth anniversary of the invasion upon us, the onus is now on Senator Obama to demonstrate what he did to act on that 2002 speech when he got to the U.S. Senate.

Hillary has long argued that what matters in this campaign isn't what we've said but what we've done. Are words backed with action?

This week, the Clinton Campaign will continue to discuss which candidate is ready to be Commander-in-Chief on day one. We will urge Senator Obama to show that he hasn't simply amassed five years of words, that his record on ending the war is one of action.

Senator Obama gave an anti-Iraq speech in 2002 that he removed from his website in 2003, calling it "dated." When he got to the Senate, Senator Obama failed to take advantage of the opportunity provided by his new position and did little to turn his words into action until he became a White House candidate. In fact, he voted for over $300 billion in funds for the war and waited 18 months to speak on the Senate floor about Iraq, delivering a speech AGAINST the Kerry amendment that set a hard deadline for withdrawal.

When he took over the subcommittee that oversees NATO and Afghanistan and had a chance to follow up on the part of his 2002 speech that argued that Iraq diverted attention from Afghanistan, he failed to hold a single hearing. And as a candidate, he regularly touts a plan to set a hard end date for Iraq that has now been dismissed by one of his foreign policy advisers as just words.

Voters need to know whether they can count on their candidates to act on the ideas they tout on the stump. While Senator Clinton has acted on the words she uses on the campaign trail, Senator Obama's words aren't backed by action.

At the end of the day, the true test for a president is not the speeches he or she delivers - it's whether he or she delivers on the speeches.

Comments

[drmavis]

Typical Rovian tactics - take your flaws and accuse your opponent of them. Hillary DIDN'T oppose the war, now supposedly does, and hasn't done anything to stop the war. And one could ask Hillary what has she done in her 35 years of experience -- its tough for people to find out since she is so secretive of all her records.

[Tankan]

Clinton voted for the war, what has she done lately?

She jumped three foot out of her chair to applaud the warmonger when he lied about the "surge" being a success!
Hillary Clinton, still an enthusiastic supporter of the war in Iraq!

[zorrobozo]

Hang it up already, Hillary! Get out of the way so we--the Democrats--can win won for a change!

[lincat]

Hillary, please quit repeating yourself . It's just pathetic.

[presto]

As in "I opposed the war in 2002 and I still oppose it" repeated umpty zillion times. Oh wait...that wasn't Hillary. Sorry, guess it's not pathetic after all.

[MRb1000]

OPOSED THE WAR AND OPOSED THE WAR. HOW MANY TIME DO YOU WANT HIM TO SAY IT TO YOU SILLY!!!!

[presto]

There you go again.........

[thirteen13]

DO WE REALLY WANT A THIRD CLINTON ADMINISTRATION

JUST SAY NO TO A THIRD CLINTON ADMINISTRATION

SAY NO TO FOUR MORE YEARS OF CLINTON ADMINISTRATION

"IN GOD WE TRUST"

THE CLINTONS LUST

[thirteen13]

"IN GOD WE TRUST" WHILE THE CLINTONS LUST

[herronsmith]

You people are as two-dimensional as is this argument. If we feel we only have two choices, we may very well be in more trouble than we think. Don't make me have to explain. Let's try to get back on track. This juvenile bantering is counterproductive.

[PJay]

Amen!!

[presto]

So apparently we prefer a third Bush administration. So much better for advancing the progressive agenda. This is a specious argument.

[BlueBoomer]

...AND OBAMA'S A BUST!!!

[ChimpmasterDJ]

It's saddening to have to post this yet again, but it appears that the Clintonistas are still peddling the "she was voting for diplomacy" lie on the Iraq War Authorization.

The Iraq War Authorization was exactly what it sounded like, although it did establish use of force as a last resort, after inspectors issued a full report. Hillary claims to have been shocked and appalled that the President simply "misused it" to invade... But that's simply NOT true. You see, everyone KNEW the President, and Dick "The Grimace" Cheney were already moving troops and materiel, a very expensive proposition. Enough people were so concerned that the Levin Amendment came into being, specifically to address this eventuality.

Hillary knew all about the Levin Amendment, so she was aware of the fears of her colleagues with regard to the President's integrity. In fact, Hillary PRAISED the Levin Amendment, then turned right around and voted against it.

When Hillary was finally cornered into giving and explanation of her vote against the Levin Amendment, she made the outrageous claim that "she COULDN'T" vote for it as it would have set the dangerous precedent of "subjugating the sovereign power of the POTUS to the UN Security Council".... Sounds good? Only problem with that is that it's a bald-faced lie. A 5th Grade student can read the Levin Amendment and see that it simply requires the POTUS, should he be unable to obtain sanction for the invasion from te Security Council, to return to Congress (which is the ONLY Constitutional authority) for a "green light".

So we only have two choices here... either she's terminally incompetent, or she's insulting us all with a really poorly constructed lie. You choose... either way she's not qualified to take calls at 3 AM or at any time.

[ErikW65]

Great post! It's amazing to me that Hillary supporters are believing her canard that she was shocked...shocked! that Bush would violate his promise to her, and use the authorization for the use of military force that she gave him to, you know, actually invade Iraq. That weird non-sequitir of an answer about the Levin Amendement subjugating power to the UN Security Council reveals Hillary's duplicity.

[rubicon101]

Closer to Reality. If you want more precise and accurate reporting for the Presidential Primary, News and the General Election . go to "REAL CLEAR POLITICS" .com

[Texas4Obama]

Release your tax returns Hillary
Release your earmarks
Release the Clinton Library donor list
Stop the SPIN!

Here's an update on the Peter Paul vs. Clintons lawsuit:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56868

Looks like some of the media is finally starting to report on this story.

The hearing to set the date of the trial is TODAY!

[presto]

Finally starting to report??? They have been reporting on that forever. You might want to actually checks the facts before getting all worked up. It requires some reading so you might decide to skip it and just go with innuendo instead. Hillary was dismissed from the case some time ago.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/crooked_claims_about_clinton.html

[Tariqahmed]

Clinton need to explain WHAT HAS SHE DONE
with Barrett Reoprts 120 missing pages???????

Cisnero's deeds will kill her campaign.
Expose the CORRUPT CLINTONS.

[2008andbeyond]

Well, no surprise that the Clinton Clan spends time at the Obama website. That's where she's gotten a few of her policy and slogan ideas.


Now, let's at least acknowledge that her camp is avoiding the questions posed to her about openness, 2001-2007 tax returns, library donations and details fo her supposed "35 years of experience." Many of her blind supporters get so sensitive to Obama's people asking these questions, crying that it's unfair and divisive. Then at moments like this, they jump on her questions as justified. Just know, Barack has addressed these issues already but as far as I'm concerned, until Mrs. Rodham Nixon opens up the secrecy box and lets the voters in, Barack owes her nothing more.

[Memorye]

obama is soooo honest ... Until the video came out..

[Neocon187]

Until the video came out? Barack Obama is not in the video and he was not at the sermon (I don't know every sermon my pastor has given), and no one in the news media knew about the sermon it until the church put out a series Rev. Wright's sermons on video. Barack Obama has already refudiated his comments (which in the case of 911 Ron Paul was saying almost the same thing). And to dispell yet another republican rumor, Rev. Wright did not hold a high position in Barack Obama's campaign.

[northeast73]

There is not ONE defense of Obama's LACK OF WORK from his "followers".

You counter with "well what have YOU done" How Lame. For one. she ensured that those getting back from Iraq get the healthcare they need. Thats one thing.

I cant beleive not ONE of his followers has aproblem with the fact that he got a chair posiion on the NATO subcomitte but did NOTHING with it. Why did he even bother going tothe senate? To sit aroudn voting?

HRC is on the ARmed Services Comm for 5 years. A position she EARNED with hard work. She has also been running for president but managed to attend over 40 MEETINGS of this committee, while Obama couldnt hold ONE meeting?

Obama got to the senate, dropped his bags, and stared running for President due to his over-hyped speech giving him celebrity status.

[SShaw490]

Which 2002 speech opposing the war are they saying has been removed from his website?

This one?
www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php

It looks to me like it's there. It was there on Saturday, when I pasted it into a post on another message board. I've accessed it many times, and it's always been right were I left it.

You'd think the Clintons would get better at lying, as much practice as they get.

[covalentbonded]

Floor Speech of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
on S.J. Res. 45, A Resolution to Authorize the Use of
United States Armed Forces Against Iraq

And now she claims it was a vote intended to pursue diplomatic measures? Read the name of the bill . . . to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq . . . are we really this STUPID?

Nothing but Bush in a dress!

[presto]

Are you just now discovering the name of the resolution? I assume that means you have not actually read her speech. You might want to at least, in the interest of fairness, give it the old college try.

http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

In a dress? When?

[ErikW65]

One of the things Hillary said in her floor speech, "In 1998, the United States also changed its underlying policy toward Iraq from containment to regime change..." is very revealing if you are wondering how it is she was fooled by Bush into believing he would not use the force authorization to invade and topple Saddam.

And how did she have the nerve to say this: "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program," when she did not read the classified NIE, which according to fellow Dem Senator Bob Graham contained evidence to the contrary?!

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

RELEASE YOUR DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS!

[presto]

You talking to me?

[desmirl]

The question we should be asking Hillary is, "WHAT SUBSTANTIAL AND HELPFUL LEGISLATION HAVE YOU AUTHORED WHILE IN THE SENATE?" Look it up. The list is incredibly short. She'll all hat, now cattle--oh, wait, that's Bush... Oh, wait. NO DIFFERENCE.