Hillary's War

Hillary Clinton addressed a group of veterans in Kansas City yesterday and proclaimed that "we've begun to change tactics in Iraq," and those changed tactics are "working." "We're just years too late in our tactics," she lamented.

(Note: The first report I read, on Huffington Post and from the New York Post, quoted Hillary as saying "the surge" is working. Now that I have seen the full speech, I can quote her exactly. "We've begun to change tactics" . . . But what else is she talking about except George W. Bush's Hail Mary surge? What other "new tactics" have we begun to try? The surge is the story. She was, of course, talking about the surge. Arguing about how she characterized it misses the essential and crucial point. It obfuscates, as in Karl Obfuscate Rove, which is exactly what every Republican argument is meant to do.)

What does Hillary mean by "working"? How is the surge working? What is it accomplishing? What is it meant to accomplish? What, in the war gospel according to Hillary, is the goal of the surge? Is it the same goal she had in mind when she voted to allow Bush to go to war in Iraq if he wanted to? Is her only regret now that our "tactics" were flawed, i. e., we did not send enough Americans to accomplish whatever the Bush/Clinton goal is right from start?

I suspect all she meant to do in Kansas City yesterday was pander a little to the Vets, be enough of the Hillary they want to get some of their votes, you know. But her declaration that the surge is "working" and that we're just "years too late in our tactics" goes beyond standard politician-pander to reveal something terribly wrong in her thinking. She has given us a glimpse beneath the mask -- there's the real Hillary. Years too late in our tactics? How many more Americans and Iraqis should have died under her leadership, with her superior tactics, to achieve her unspecified goal ("victory"?)? Does she think the American people have turned against this unwinnable, unconstitutional, criminal war only because Bush didn't surge from the beginning?

I have been thinking I would feel compelled to vote for Hillary if the Democrats nominated her because that would be the only meaningful way to cast a vote against the horrifying, entirely and eternally discredited Republican party.

I'm not sure now how meaningful that vote would really be. And I don't think I'm going to be able to do it.

Comments

[realitytrumpsbull]

Billary needs to look up the 'i' word in the dictionary, 'integrity'. She once stated that, if elected, she would move to end the war. Course reversals? Waffles, anyone? What's REALLY going on, here? Is there ANYone in the running that isn't just a tool for Halliburton/stupid enough to get co-opted regardless?

According to what I've read, a lot of people basically now hold the view that the war has been a Big Mistake. But, the shills are still trying to peddle this or that angle, assigning blame for failure without calling the entire enterprise into account top-to-bottom, firing this or that person, the war's still about oil,
years later, and it'll continue to be about oil as long as it's continued, and they'll still keep wasting money instead of figuring out how to point both oil barrels at the question of energy independence. Meanwhile, the public gets bent over a third oil barrel and 'outsourced' on a daily basis. What's REALLY going on here? What, indeed...

[RabbiOmar]

Hillary Clinton is returning to her roots as a Goldwater girl

[GregQuindel]

Liberals sure know how to shoot themselves in the foot. Hillary's nuanced foreign policy, one designed to win an election, is seen as no different from a war mongers. That is the same lame and tragic logic that brought votes for Nader because there wasn't sufficient difference between Gore and Bush. Grow up, lives and our futures are at stake.

[austinobserver]

Hillary was given the Democratic nomination for Senator from New York because her husband was the president. She won two noncompetitive races against weak Republicans. Now she has been annointed by the corporate media as the inevitable Democratic nominee. She has not earned this position, she has done nothing, and she is nothing but a corporate stooge. Not only does her candidacy stand for the propositions that family connections trump accomplishments and that the corporate media gets to choose the Democratic nominee, but it also signifies that the American boobeoisie has accepted the corporate media framing of US elections as a means to resolve differences over the so-called "social issues" and nothing more.

I am so angry I could spit. Politically I am to the left of Kucinich and so I have never voted for a Republican in my life, but I might not only vote for Hillary's Republican opponent, I might even send money to the creep (unless of course it is Count Giuliani, the most loathsome creature on earth).

[cheerleaderBush]

Anyone in Congress who in Oct. '02 voted to abdicate their constitutional responsibility to one man (especially the incompetent and corrupt buffoon who was and still is in office) DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE IN ANY ELECTED POSITION - AND MOST CERTAINLY NOT THE PRESIDENT OF THE US.

Any way you spin it, the "yes" to allow prez bush the sole authority to declare war, is PROFOUND BAD JUDGEMENT THAT SHOULD BE PENALIZED 'NOT' REWARDED.

If i had the vision back in '02 to KNOW Bush was going to invade and it would be a disaster, why didn't Clinton (Edwards, Dodd, Richardson, all Republicans, etc.) see it also?!?!?!

And that goes for everyone who voted for or subsequently supported prez bush's decision to invade and OCCUPY IRAQ.

[Horsefeather]

Dear Hillary and all other presidential hopefulls,

I don't want this war at all and think it should end now. I would like to see foreign policy based on diplomacy, statesmanship, and being humane and friendly. I want good universal health care, legisalation to promote health, education, and real people welfare instead of this ridiculous idea that a country putting its people (meaning, you, me, and the 95% fighting like rabid dogs for the leftover 5%) won't work. I want my government working on this right now.

[rboylern]

The surge is working? I hadn't noticed. It seems more like we'll be playing a game of whack-a-mole as pockets of violence continue to erupt throughout Iraq. What the hell is Senator Clinton talking about here?

[bheartlib]

Reading some of the posts here makes me wonder...just who are the people that are polling so high for Hillary? I find none of the progressives...dems...liberals in my circle of blogging or whatever, really trust her. She is a true corporatist. We all know it. Is there someone out there on this blog that really wants Hillary to be our candidate? I am very curious, and I would like to know the reasons.
I have to say....without any doubt....that if Hillary is the nominee, I will vote for her. We have NO choice. Do not think that you will make a huge change in our government by NOT voting for her. You will not be making some great stand...get over yourself. The only power we have is by sticking together. As we all knew in 2004, having Kerry as our president would give us a tiny, little step into the sunshine. None of us has the luxury of voting our 'conscience'. Not in the general election. By all means...vote your concience in the primary. But, pack it in for the general. No voting for a third party, no not voting, just forget it.
I will be voting for Kucinich in the primary. My vote, my concience. I will be voting the democratic nominee in the general. With a huge smile on my face.

[VicAnderson]

TYPICAL DOUBILLARYSPEAK!

[genet43]

If it's Hillary vs "the horrifying, entirely and eternally discredited Republican party", I'm voting Libertarian.

[jkfee]

I think we're being stubborn if we don't acknowledge that the surge is having positive effects as far bringing some order to portions of Iraq. And whether we like it or not, had Bush gone in with the several hundred thousand soldiers that were recommended before the war, it may have come out very differently. That being said it does not mean that I, Hillary or anyone else supports the war itself. Quite the contrary it rips at me every single day that the United States of America could have invaded a soveirgn nation with the intent of imposing our "ideals" on their society. So I'd be as pigheaded as the right if I didn't acknowledge the signs that surge is having some type of effect, however small, on parts of Iraq. No the left didn't want this war, & I want us out of that forsaken war too, but we also owe these poor people whose country we ravaged something before we pack up & go.

[Unitari]

I think what you should know about a candidate, you already know. Our system is set up such that candidates must only think about winning. That's the game that is played in the campaigns and in the debates. It is stupid, but you have to change the system to change that and right now, if you don't play the game, you don't win and you can't change anything.

I think Hillary is the only democratic candidate that can win the presidency. she is the one. She is so darn good at the debates and I think more and more people like her every day. The negative things they say don't even move her (unlike other candidates who get flustered and react badly).
Hillary will win.

[SonnyBono]

Everyone running for president or thinking about maybe organizing an exploratory committee to run; please note the following - Iraq is a disaster, well, more accurately it is a great big freaking mother of all DISASTERS. We all know - well maybe not Cheney - but even W knows that sooner or later, we are loading up the helicopters in the Green Zone and leaving.

The only question is who will be the last American soldier killed so little George can continue to claim that he is a war-time president and will not cut and run. There will be chaos in Iraq when we leave - wheather its next year or next week. The real question is how many American and Iraqi lives the so-called real live American patriots are willing to sacrafice.

I would be more impressed if all these freaking talking heads who claim to believe in the "purpose" of our presence in Iraq would put their own lives on the line instead of somebody else's children. Are you listening - Joe Lieberman, Dick Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, and even Hillary?

If you really want to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here, go ahead. I'll support you from back here - let me know if they start coming up the Potomac, I'll grab my gun. Until then, all you super patriots can cover this one. I and hundreds of thousands of Americans got the last one while W was protecting Miami Beach and a fine job he did - not one single Harvey Wallbanger was lost to enemy action.

[SadieYates]

all I can say is
GORE 2008!!!!

[grh1212]

You're right! This is Hillary's war. She lied us into it and if she gets her way, we'll be there forever. Neat huh?