Clinton On Iran: Could "Totally Obliterate" Them If They Attacked Israel

ABC News:

For the last six weeks Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., have battled and bickered and both have unleashed a barrage of negativity in television ads that have aired thousands of times in the state....

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

Read the whole story: ABC News

Comments

[Manx]

I would like to see a woman as president some day but not Hillary. As a woman, she feels that it's more important to look tough than to offer a more rational approach to a potentially catastrophic situation. If we bombed Iran, the price of gasoline would soar to over $ 10.00 a gallon. Think of what that would do to our economy. We don't need another four years or so of cowboy diplomacy.

[newshawk14]

Hillary's comments are close to insane, Israel has far and away the largest number of nuclear
weapons and the systems to reliably deliver them. What they need most from us, is to discourage
nuclear proliferation or the contemplation of nuclear war, and to bring the parties together to
lessen tensions in the region. They don't need a mad hawk.

[Jason357]

Contradiction? Around here, we call it lying.

[sassafra]

uhhh...hillary, excuse me for asking, but why would *we* need to nuke iran if israel was nuked? isn't that what israels "secret" nuclear deterrent is *for*?? sheesh. what is *wrong* with you? are you that eager to get involved in a nuclear exchange of weapons?

[HuffyPuff]

ABC News' Chris Cuomo asked Clinton what she would do _if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons._

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

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As I read through these comments I wonder what you all have been drinking? The question was what she would do if they attacked Israel...our main ally in the region...with a NUCLEAR WEAPON. What do you want her to say? Oh, please don't do that...It would hurt our relationship? We won't like you any more? We'll tell on you?

Folks, the only reason we were not attacked by the Soviets was because they knew...KNEW that that would be the end. There was no doubt about what our response would be. I WANT Iran to think that shooting off a nuke would spell the end. And North Korea. And China. And Pakistan. And anyone else who might be tempted. They have to understand there is a zero tolerance for nuclear engagement.

And before you go off on me...I was against this war from the start and was actively against and a conscientious objector during Viet Nam.

[Vern58]

This should be a deal breaker right there. In todays world, what thinking human being in their right mind would advocate such a preposterous position. My dear Ms. Clinton- you are showing yourself as the kind of closet Republican even your rock ribbed Republican daddy could have voted for. Sorry, Hill, but your Goldwater Girl roots are showing- and no amount of explanation will put this nuclear genie back in the bottle.

[MM5]

Disgusting pandering to the Israeli lobby....she needs their $$.

[BEHM777]

While I am no fan of the Iranian government, I have no problem with Iranian people. Obliterating Iran would mean millions of INNOCENT folk would die/suffer. What a human catastrophe THAT would be. Can you imagine what would happen to the price of oil then? I don't know if they ever would, but I sincerely hope Iran never would be foolish enough to attack Israel with nuclear weapons (should they ever acquire them). Somehow, I have a feeling that Israel may launch a preemptive strike on Iran if they felt there was a real danger of such a thing happening. Hillary Clinton's comments here make her sound a bit to much like Dick Cheney for my tastes.

[BEHM777]

I should have said "a bit too much." Sorry.

[rikkirighteous]

A nuclear attack on Israel--which is the topic--would mean millions of INNOCENT people would suffer.

But if they're Jews, who cares, right?

[mommadona]

What WOMAN would AUTOMATICALLY STATE she would enable the annihalation of someone else's children for POLITICAL REASONS?

What in the HELL IS THE WOMAN THINKING?

That would be the ONLY REASON TO ELECT A WOMAN - so THE DAMN NUCLEAR OPTION WOULD BE OFF THE TABLE.

It's penis envy on steroids.

Hill's sproutin' somethin' beyond cajones.

SHE'S A GOLDWATER GIRL!!!!

13. "G.O.P. Nominee's Views, in His Own Words, on Major Issues of Campaign," and "Goldwater Plan Opposed to NATO'S; Alliance Has Long Let U.S. Hold Nuclear Reins," The New York Times, 11 and 18 July 1964.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/special/index.htm

[AnnieinOR]

Blood-thirsty DINO - your lust for power would allow you to threaten nukes on the middle east? Think before you speak - again, lack of judgment, while the whole world watches this primary.

[getoffmedz]

BINGO! She appears to be trying to out sabre-rattle Secretary Rice.

Out of what dark and insane place did her threat originate?

Serious lack of judgment.

[AnnieinOR]

it all started with the debate - when she said she would attack Iran and several other middle east countries should they attack Israel.

She has a real problem with wanting to be a man if you ask me - it's like she's trying to say - I can be just a stupid as Bush - watch me.

[RobinL]

Is this woman a card-carrying creep or what?!

[bowloforanges]

If HRC would have read Seymour Hersch years ago she would have known not to go to war with Iraq.

She should read "The Redirection" by the same author.......... "Today, the only army capable of containing Iran" - the Iraqi Army - "has been destroyed by the United States. You're now dealing with an Iran that could be nuclear-capable and has a standing army of four hundred and fifty thousand soldiers." (Saudi Arabia has seventy-five thousand troops in its standing army.)

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/03/05/070305fa_fact_hersh

She sounds like GWB.

[mindact]

she is a poor loser. She's running to the right of John McCain. funny how she's tyring to play Isreal out as a weak country to get Jewsih votes. the truth be told, Isreal has enough stockpile to defend itself form any attacks from Iran. The US has funded Isreal's military build-up at $3bln or more annually. That's enough to deter any invasion from Iran. This kind of statement was why I didn't trust her in the first place. She was making statements like this when running for the senate in NY. That's exactly why she voted for the war. Wehn she started running for POTUS and some how badly the war was going, she took an anti-war stance. Now she's realized that she's probably going to loose, she's re-launched her true colors...

[kingfishstew]

Why pretend that Israel doesn't have its own nuclear deterrent? I'd imagine if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapns, it won't be American nukes which would be doing the retaliating / obliterating.

Unless after vaporizing scores of Iranian cities, it was discovered that some few million Iranians in the country-side had actually survived and our nuclear arsenal was need to complete the holocaust.

[michelvaillant]

If any country in the middle east attacked another with nukes, I also would want our president to obliterate it. That was the only right answer. The question is, would she do the same if Israel launched a preemptive nuclear attack? I found out almost all her foreign policy team is made up of Jews. There is nothing wrong with that, but we need a break from AIPAC running U.S. foreign policy. I am understanding now why there is some skepticism about Obama by the more radical segments of the Jewish community.

[MariaHopeful]

You speak as if obliterating a country is just as if you are crushing an ant . Obliterating a country means OBLITERATING millions of HUMAN BEINGS! What sort of madness is this? And how can you obliterate Iran without also damaging other ME countries including Israel? What are we talking about here?

[2belinda]

Very scary that she would even think "obliterate another country"
obliterate is to remove utterly from recognition or memory
to remove from existence : destroy utterly all trace, indication, or significance
Did she "misspeak" ? I sure hope so.