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Hillary Clinton And The AUMF
One of the things I admire most about Mrs. Clinton is that she is taking the hits for so many of us on the authorization to use military force. And she's doing it without whining. We are all guilty of not doing enough to stop Bush from going on with the invasion after the AUMF had worked to get the weapons inspectors back into Iraq. Those of us who stayed home should have marched. Those of us who marched should have fought. Those of us who fought and were jailed should have kept on fighting. She never says there were only 27 Senators who voted against the AUMF. She never says the bloggers never got off their asses and into the streets. She never says those who point to their speeches can't point to their actions. I don't think someone who says you were stupid and I'll never forgive you to the American people is going to unite America in November. One of the tragedies of this primary campaign is that a woman who might have brought us together on so many important issues has been savaged so brutally by an opportunistic gang.
Comments (4)
Authorizing a war is no small matter, my friend. As someone who was out in the streets protesting against the war, I am truly dismayed by your logic. Hundreds of thousands of Americans hit the streets in immediate protest against the war. In fact many millions around the world. Obama was not the sole person in opposition. My question for you is, how can so many millions of people be so clear-headed on such matters, and yet Hillary Clinton (and others) be so backward? What I find equally disturbing is any flippant notion about the dire consequences of that decision to authorize a war. There are upwards of ONE MILLION Iraqi people DEAD. Millions more are displaced. Thousands of American soldiers DEAD. Tens of thousands of our soldiers severely injured. Trillions of dollars drained from the treasury and the American tax payer's pocket. Yet Exxon, Black Water and Halliburton record record profits? You cannot minimize the consequences, my friend. The war is an absolute disaster. With all of her years of supposed "readiness" and"experience", Hillary couldn't have made a worse decision, no matter how she tries to spin it.
February 8, 2008 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't recall using the word "war." That's your frame, not mine. I think invasion and occupation. Until you can separate the two, you can't get beyond emotional outbursts.
February 9, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hear what you are saying and can respect your opinion. But, from my view it is in part because Hillary and others supported the AUMF that more people did not continue the fight. It allowed Bush and company to pretend they had more information about the threat of Saddam than the public knew about. Her unwillingness to call it a mistake and readiness to escalate on Iran does scare me. Yes, we the people can do more. That is what Obama is telling us. We need transparency and trust. With Hillary I feel like we are all supposed to sit back and let her fix everything for us. I have little doubt she has our best interest at heart and that she will bring about some needed change if elected. But, I want it to last beyond her 4 years in the White House and I'm tired of closed doors, cronyism, and the extreme partisanship.
February 8, 2008 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Iran is a scary issue. My take is that we are not going to invade Iran on our own. But Israel is not going to tolerate a nuclear Iran. The biggest problem I have with an Obama presidency is I don't believe he can stop Israel from attacking Iran, and I don't believe he can deal with the crisis when Israel does.
February 9, 2008 1:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
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