From The Road
April 6, 2008 3:35 PM

Clinton Defends Iraq Vote: Says "I'm Willing to Be Held Accountable"

By
Fernando Suarez
Topics
Hillary Clinton
(CBS)
From CBS News' Fernando Suarez:

MISSOULA, MONT. -- During a campaign rally in northwest Montana, Hillary Clinton defended her vote for the war in Iraq saying "I'm very comfortable that I made a sincere vote based on my best assessment at the time, and I am more than willing to be held accountable for it."

Clinton, who spoke before a crowd of about 1,500 supporters at an airport hangar in Missoula, was asked about her war vote during the question and answer session. It's the second time in two days that Clinton has been asked to explain her decision.

"I have said on many occasions that if I had known then what I know now, I never would have voted that way." Clinton said stopping short of saying that her vote was a mistake, something that anti-war critics continue to hold against her.

"It seems very self-evident today, all these years later that everybody should have known what wasn't there, but even the Iraqis, their generals and their officials did not know what wasn't there," Clinton said.

Clinton's response to her vote has been the most comprehensive she's had at a rally in quite some time. She went through a laundry list of reasons why she made her decision. Perhaps the most interesting was that Clinton said she took into account Saddam Hussein's fragile state of mind saying that "he was a megalomaniac" and went on to say that Hussein would feel pressured to "do something" given Osama bin Laden's ascent in the world of terrorism.

"We knew that psychologically, the idea that Osama bin Laden would now be given the top spot, so to speak, among extremists would be very hard for Saddam to take and would probably encourage him to do something."

Clinton urged voters to consider both her record and the record of her opponent, Barack Obama. Clinton said, "I had to make a decision. I had to cast a vote. I give credit to my opponent for making a speech, but a speech is not a decision and I had to make a decision."

"You are judged by your actions and actions are a legitimate basis by which to make that decision moving forward," Clinton added.

She also took a swipe at President Bush, virtually accusing him of selling voters a bill of goods during his 2000 presidential campaign.

"President Bush campaigned back in 2000 as a compassionate conservative. People loved it, nobody knew what that meant but people loved it. It was something new; it sounded real good. Compassion is good, being conservative on some things is good. So heck, lets take a chance, compassionate conservative? Ok, let's roll the dice. He was neither. And we have been living with the consequences ever since," she said.

Later, Clinton joked about being the only female presidential candidate, asking the audience, "Do you realize how much longer it takes me to get ready than my two opponents?"

"I think I should get points for working hard as I do plus having to spend so much time to get ready," Clinton quipped.

Add a Comment See all 33 Comments
by michael0004 April 9, 2008 1:58 PM EDT
If there was any doubt about the media''''s mysogynistic bias against Senator Hillary Clinton, the following youtube video should dispel all doubt (except for those who are so blinded by their own prejudices or brainwashed by the media):

http://www.youtube.com/result
s?search_query=Hillary+Mad as Hell&search_type=

(You can also type in "Hillary mad as hell" in the youtube search field to retrieve this video.)
Reply to this comment
by grdavis2-2009 April 7, 2008 7:52 PM EDT
Please...the same old answers to concerns are really tired.

Hillary did make a floor speech the day she voted for the Iraq war. She went on and on about her reasoning but the gist of it was she was relying on the stance her husband had taken in his administration rather than reading the new NIE rpeort AND that she cast the vote *with conviction*.

There were 22 other Senators that voted against the war and spoke just as eloquently as Hillary on the floor at the time. They exercised far better judgment and were actually prophetic in their estimation of what would happen by casting a vote for war.

Then there''s the pesky idea that Hillary voted AGAINST the Levin amendment to that war vote which would have actually accomplished the continued inspectors role as Hillary so loves to site now as her reasoning for voting for war.

THEN she adds insult to injury by voting for war with IRAN...the same sort of authorization that this administration used to invade Iraq.

There is NO excuse or explaining away Hillary''s stance on these votes. She is either a complete hawk OR she was voting simply to position herself for a Presidential run...

Either is unconscionable as she was playing with the lives of our young people...some of the best and brightest this nation has to offer and she''s using them as ploys in her power grab game.

That is not leadership, that alone disqualifies her from holding the highest office in the land.
Reply to this comment
by s4b0 April 7, 2008 10:17 AM EDT
OBAMA SUPPORED BUSH ON THE IRAG WAR. JUST GO BACK AND CHECK THE FACTS ABOUT HIS STATEMENTS ON THE WAR.HE IS A HYPOCRITE ON SO MANY ISSUES I WOULD NEVER VOTE FOR HIM.
Reply to this comment
by e-leigh April 7, 2008 5:32 AM EDT
Billary? Don''t know that person.

But Hillary Clinton, yes. A New York Senator who actually has a record to examine, and welcomes the American public to hold her accountable for it, including the so-called "war vote."

Hillary Clinton has said that vote was one of the toughest decisions she''s had to make. To understand that, read the speech from the Senate floor that she made before casting her vote: http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

The speech goes into detail about what she thought the priorities were then, and why she cast her vote as she did. She faced an awesome responsibility with courage and thoughtfulness.

On the other hand, Obama was not around when the "war" vote was taken. He''s said himself that he could not say how he would have voted. Yet now his "anti-war" stance is his main platform. He claims he "voted against the war" when he wasn''t even in the Senate yet. That''s just plain dishonest.

When he got to the Senate, he got to be head of a subcommittee on foreign relations in Europe. In two years he didn''t call one meeting. Not one--and he''s said so himself. He did not face his responsibility--he didn''t even show up.

I want a President who can grapple with the tough issues facing our country at home and around the world.

That President is Hillary Clinton.



Reply to this comment
by jgunther7 April 7, 2008 5:29 AM EDT
Hillary was lying when she told us about Bosnia, Ireland and NAFTA and everything else. Maybe she is lying about this as well.
Reply to this comment
by e-leigh April 7, 2008 5:21 AM EDT
Billary? Don''t know that person.

But Hillary Clinton, yes. A New York Senator who actually has a record to examine, and welcomes the American public to hold her accountable for it, including the so-called "war vote."

Hillary Clinton has said that vote was one of the toughest decisions she''s had to make. To understand that, read the speech from the Senate floor that she made before casting her vote: http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

The speech goes into detail about what she thought the priorities were then, and why she cast her vote as she did. She faced an awesome responsibility with courage and thoughtfulness.

On the other hand, Obama was not around when the "war" vote was taken. He''s said himself that he could not say how he would have voted. Yet now his "anti-war" stance is his main platform. He claims he "voted against the war" when he wasn''t even in the Senate yet. That''s just plain dishonest.

When he got to the Senate, he got to be head of a subcommittee on foreign relations in Europe. In two years he didn''t call one meeting. Not one--and he''s said so himself. He did not face his responsibility--he didn''t even show up.

I want a President who can grapple with the tough issues facing our country at home and around the world.

That President is Hillary Clinton.



Reply to this comment
by e-leigh April 7, 2008 5:15 AM EDT
Billary? Don''t know that person.

But Hillary Clinton, yes. A New York Senator who actually has a record to examine, and welcomes the American public to hold her accountable for it, including the so-called "war vote."

Hillary Clinton has said that vote was one of the toughest decisions she''s had to make. To understand that, read the speech from the Senate floor that she made before casting her vote: http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

The speech goes into detail about what she thought the priorities were then, and why she cast her vote as she did. She faced an awesome responsibility with courage and thoughtfulness.

On the other hand, Obama was not around when the "war" vote was taken. He''s said himself that he could not say how he would have voted. Yet now his "anti-war" stance is his main platform. He claims he "voted against the war" when he wasn''t even in the Senate yet. That''s just plain dishonest.

When he got to the Senate, he got to be head of a subcommittee on foreign relations in Europe. In two years he didn''t call one meeting. Not one--and he''s said so himself. He did not face his responsibility--he didn''t even show up.

I want a President who can grapple with the tough issues facing our country at home and around the world.

That President is Hillary Clinton.



Reply to this comment
by e-leigh April 7, 2008 5:14 AM EDT
Billary? Don''t know that person.

But Hillary Clinton, yes. A New York Senator who actually has a record to examine, and welcomes the American public to hold her accountable for it, including the so-called "war vote."

Hillary Clinton has said that vote was one of the toughest decisions she''s had to make. To understand that, read the speech from the Senate floor that she made before casting her vote: http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

The speech goes into detail about what she thought the priorities were then, and why she cast her vote as she did. She faced an awesome responsibility with courage and thoughtfulness.

On the other hand, Obama was not around when the "war" vote was taken. He''s said himself that he could not say how he would have voted. Yet now his "anti-war" stance is his main platform. He claims he "voted against the war" when he wasn''t even in the Senate yet. That''s just plain dishonest.

When he got to the Senate, he got to be head of a subcommittee on foreign relations in Europe. In two years he didn''t call one meeting. Not one--and he''s said so himself. He did not face his responsibility--he didn''t even show up.

I want a President who can grapple with the tough issues facing our country at home and around the world.

That President is Hillary Clinton.



Reply to this comment
by e-leigh April 7, 2008 5:13 AM EDT
Billary? Don''t know that person.

But Hillary Clinton, yes. A New York Senator who actually has a record to examine, and welcomes the American public to hold her accountable for it, including the so-called "war vote."

Hillary Clinton has said that vote was one of the toughest decisions she''s had to make. To understand that, read the speech from the Senate floor that she made before casting her vote: http://clinton.senate.gov/speeches/iraq_101002.html

The speech goes into detail about what she thought the priorities were then, and why she cast her vote as she did. She faced an awesome responsibility with courage and thoughtfulness.

On the other hand, Obama was not around when the "war" vote was taken. He''s said himself that he could not say how he would have voted. Yet now his "anti-war" stance is his main platform. He claims he "voted against the war" when he wasn''t even in the Senate yet. That''s just plain dishonest.

When he got to the Senate, he got to be head of a subcommittee on foreign relations in Europe. In two years he didn''t call one meeting. Not one--and he''s said so himself. He did not face his responsibility--he didn''t even show up.

I want a President who can grapple with the tough issues facing our country at home and around the world.

That President is Hillary Clinton.



Reply to this comment
by grdavis2-2009 April 7, 2008 4:53 AM EDT
The point remains, all you Clinton supporters, Hillary voted to authorize war when 22 other Senators voted no, the streets were filled with peaceful protesters, and she chose to not read the NIE report.

It was the biggest vote of her career and she blew it.

That wasn''t enough though...she went on to vote against the Levin amendment that really would have insisted on more inspections, AND then she added insult to injury with her support of the Kyl-Liebermann let''s go to war with Iran vote.

Face it...she was positioning herself to run for Prez in a country who''s mood she greatly misread. She will likely lose her chance to win because of that sort of posturing.
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