Rivals Target Clinton At Debate

Edwards, Obama Assail Democratic Frontrunner Over Iran, Iraq, And Consistency Of Positions

(CBS/AP)  Democrats Barack Obama and John Edwards sharply challenged Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's candor, consistency and judgment Tuesday in a televised debate that underscored her front-runner status two months before the first presidential primary votes.

Obama, the Illinois senator, began immediately, saying Clinton has changed her positions on the North American Free Trade Agreement, torture policies and the Iraq war. Leadership, he said, does not mean "changing positions whenever it's politically convenient."

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, was even sharper at times, saying Clinton "defends a broken system that's corrupt in Washington, D.C." He stood by his earlier claim that she has engaged in "doubletalk."

Clinton, standing between the two men, largely shrugged off the remarks and defended her positions. She has been the focus of Republican candidates' "conversations and consternation," she said, because she is leading in the polls.

She said she has specific plans on Social Security, diplomacy and health care. "I have been standing against the Republicans, George Bush and Dick Cheney," she said, "and I will continue to do so, and I think Democrats know that."

It was the Democrats' first debate in a month, and during that time Clinton has solidified her front-runner position, gaining in polls, taking the lead in fundraising and dominating the agenda. The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 3, and the New Hampshire primary could be even earlier.

Clinton defended her Senate vote in favor of designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. Obama, Edwards and others have said President Bush could interpret the measure as congressional approval for a military attack.

Edwards caustically challenged Clinton's claim that she stands up to the Bush administration. "So the way to do that is to vote yes on a resolution that looks like it was written literally by the neocons?" he said.

"In my view, rushing to war - we should not be doing that - but we shouldn't be doing nothing," Clinton said. "And that means we should not let them acquire nuclear weapons, and the best way to prevent that is a full court press on the diplomatic front."

Clinton also was the main focus during a discussion of the Iraq war. Again, Edwards leveled the toughest charges against the New York senator.

"If you believe that combat missions should be continued in Iraq" without a timetable for withdrawal, Edwards said, "then Senator Clinton is your candidate." Edwards vowed to have all combat troops out of Iraq "in my first year in office."

Clinton replied forcefully, saying "I stand for ending the war in Iraq, bringing our troops home." She added, however, that "it is going to take time," and some troops must remain to fight al Qaeda in Iraq.

"I don't know how you pursue al Qaeda without engaging them in combat," she said.

Edwards, drawing a link between Iraq and Iran, pressed on. "What I worry about is, if Bush invades Iran six months from now, I mean, are we going to hear: 'If only I had known then what I know now?"' He was alluding to comments Clinton has made about her 2002 vote to authorize military action against Saddam Hussein.

“Edwards and Obama achieved at least some of what they wanted to do coming into this debate and that was to exploit some of Clinton’s vulnerabilities with the Democratic base, especially on Iran and Iraq,” said CBSNews.com Senior Political Editor Vaughn Ververs. “Clinton defended herself well, but the criticism may play well with voters already uneasy with her past support of the war in Iraq." (Read more debate analysis from Vaughn Ververs in Horserace.)

[gunownerdan]

Warmongering corporate prostitutes like Hitlery Clinton are disgusting.

[prinzowhales]

Clinton revealed herself once more to be a double-talking crook. I doubt if the insipid drones who peck the corn from her droppings will be influenced by her display of dishonesty any more than those who follow Bush despite the lies, lies, lies and lies.

[signof4]

This wouldnt be so funny if our current Commander in Chief hadnt joined the National Guard and then not been able to show up
Posted by fedupwithit1 at 08:20 AM : Nov 01, 2007

Prove it. Do you have access to MORE Dan Ratherbiased forged memos/

[sendreidpelo]

When Hillary ''ore grabs a carbine, a flak jacket and a helmet and puts her plump a$$ on the line at Camp Victory, then she might talk about being Commander-in-Chief instead of Cuckolded Shrill Shrew Extraordinaire.

But until then she''s nothing but a cookie baking ''ho that the Liberal dummies in New York chose to elect because they thought Bubba and his Johnson were coming back. A Cuckolded Shrill Shrew and a moral and ethical coward, that''s Hillary Rotten ''Ore.

[sendreidpelo]

The piece of sh*t known as Rotten Clinton, the political ''ho who sat in her office ranting about a "vast right wing conspiracy" while hubby boy, the draft dodger was having his Johnson s*ucked by a fat bimbo is about as qualified to be President of the United States as Osama Bin Laden is.

Since pervert boy bubba kept claiming she was a "co-President" one might want to ask this plump cookie baking ''ho where she was when Osama was bombing us up to the time the Impeached President left office.

Now this piece of work is willing to open borders to ILLEGALS - trying to convienently blame Bush all the time while she and her friends advocate drivers licenses for the ILLEGALS. She couldn''t stand up to Pervert or have the decency and courage to divorce, so how can anyone, outside of some brain dead Nazis from MoveOn.Org, expect this manure girl to stand up to Ahmedinejedad.

You can kiss this country goodbye if Hillary ''ore is elected President.

[usaprophet]

Ron Paul represents a different Republican Party from the one that Iraq, deficits and corruption have soured the country on. It''s ironic that other GOP candidates are scared to death of his message, BECAUSE his is more conservative than theirs. Being anti-war IS conservative. Another key difference between his message and the others is that he is a strong defender in The Constitution, which protects our civil liberties. The other Republican cadidates, who are mostly NWO Oligarchs, want to erase your liberties. They''ve tried hard to exlude him from the spotlight, along with the mainstream press. In late June, despite a life of antitax agitation and pious churchgoing, he was excluded from a Republican forum sponsored by Iowa antitax and Christian groups. Ron Paul does not represent your Father''s style of Republicanism. He represents your Founding Father''s style. He stands for a certain idea of the Constitution; the idea that much of the power asserted by modern presidents has been usurped from Congress, and that much of the power asserted by Congress has been usurped from the states. Though Dr. Paul acknowledges flaws in both the Constitution (it included slavery) and the Bill of Rights (it doesn%u2019t go far enough), he still thinks a comprehensive array of positions can be drawn therefrom: against gun control; for the sovereignty of states; and against foreign-policy adventures. His message draws on the noblest traditions of American decency and patriotism.

[cfin5]

Tim Russert''s behavior was needed against Hillary''s flip''floppin''. She MADE him be pointed on Immigration with her flittin'' all over the issue. It was so obvious that she blew it that there was no "biased help" anyone could have saved her with. To blame Tim for doing his job is simply not cool. She even blamed Bush (go figure) on immigration that she herself endorsed. What a political money pit!.......John Edwards won that debate hands down.

[usaprophet]

You get the sense that the country is desperate for someone to show us the way. Not the old way. Not the same way, but a NEW WAY. Think about this for a minute. What if we pulled all of our troops out of South Korea? They''ve been there for 50 years. Tens of thousands of them. What if we quit worrying about Iran, but instead, realized that its having a nuclear weapon will not mean the end of the world? What if we pulled all of our troops out of Iraq, and brought them all home? What if we realistically addressed the National Debt, and paid attention to REALLY DOING SOMETHING about stopping illegal immigration? These are the ideas Republican Presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul. He''s a ten term Congressman and a physician who has delivered over 4,000 babies. Ron Paul has been married to the same woman for more than 50 years, which means he doesn''t come to the race with the sort of baggage some of the other candidates for the White House do. Paul is given to mulling things over morally. He was once a pious Lutheran, but now attends a Baptist church. He never travels alone with women, and once even dressed-down an aide for using the expression "red-light district" in front of a female colleague. I support the 2008 candidacy of Congressman, Ron Paul for President of The United States. Candidates with the high level of personal integrity and track record of adherance to The Constitution Ron Paul always demonstrates only come around once in a lifetime, if we''re lucky. Go Ron!

[starleo146]

Good training for Hillary,
Edwards blew it, looked southern and petulant remindful of Bush also rocks from a glass house it is he I do not trust never have, Kucinich oh well UFO%u2019s great, these two are the reason Democrats shoot themselves in the foot.

Russert and Matthews sure looked like frightened white males, foaming mouth Hillary haters make no mistake, they can%u2019t even keep their facial expression neutral.




Posted by pepperp1

I am glad you saw what I was seeing in this debate. It was short of ugly how Tim Russett did. He did not bring this administration up one time all he asked was questions he should ask Bill Clinton. And the first one to come back at John Edwards he will run with his tail between his legs just like he did in 2004 with Cheney. If he is a southern gentleman I''m glad to see how the southern men are.

[usaprophet]

To those who don''t vote: Voter disenfranchisement and apathy infects the heart of our Republic. Get off your couch, put your remote control down, and become active in your nation''s political process. The pathetically few people that do vote in this country, a.k.a., "the ruling class", who currently get to decide under what kind of conditions (and Laws) you and your family will live, are certainly involved. I can assure you of that. In fact, the ruling class would be much happier if you would just continue to stay home and watch TV in your pleasantly distracted and brainwashed, stupor. That way they can continue to elect their political ****** to office, and continue to maintain their grip on 100% of the political power they currently own in this country. If you voted (God Forbid), it would cancel-out their vote, and they would lose control. They can''t have that. Can they? If you don''t vote, my friends, you''re nothing but an unwashed "Pleb" to those that do, and the ruling class should rightfully consider themselves superior to you in every way. They do, after all, have all the power, while you have none. If you''re too apathetic and powerless to do anything for yourself more time-consuming than driving down to Mickey D''s to buy a milk shake in order to sieze control of your life, and your country''s destiny, then perhaps you deserve to be ruled over like the "Pleb" that you then are. The time to act is now. The time for political revolution has come. The time for Ron Paul is NOW!

[badbrown126]

Clinton may have given her opponents an opening to bear down on their %u201Cdoubletalk%u201D attack. In a convoluted answer to the same question, Clinton first said she thought New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer%u2019s plan to let illegal immigrants have driver%u2019s licenses %u201Cmakes a lot of sense.%u201D Then she said she did not endorse Spitzer%u2019s plan even though she repeated that he had the right idea. Then she accused Russert of asking a %u201Cgotcha%u201D question.

Edwards leaped, noting that Clinton appeared to have given two different answers in less than two minutes.

%u201CI think this is a real issue for the country,%u201D he said. %u201CI mean, America is looking for a president who will say the same thing, who will be consistent, who will be straight with them.%u201D

[badbrown126]

What debate did CBS watch ...the whole country is talking about her response to the immmigration question and they don''t even report it. If you only watched CBS news you would have no idea what is really going on .. I am for and against drivers license for illegal immigrants.

[mcvett]

ORIGINAL POST BY TrueProgress

regarding criticism of C. Rice. I can answer that directly, but I have chosen not to, as it is an obvious slur from a gender phobe ! Ganging up only takes place vs. a woman wanting REAL POWER, not a funcionary of the MAle dominated/transferal masculimnioty/bellicose trending Gov''''''''t. Get IT You would get a very definite F in my course.
When the bus leaves the road do you blamde the driver, tour guide of a lowly passenger ???

Posted by TrueProgress at 01:54 PM : Oct 31, 2007

.

GREAT RESPONSE from mocalleo

It''''s called equal rights & equal TREATMENT
Get used to it....welcome to politics

PS....I am a woman.

Posted by mocalleo at 02:32 PM : Oct 31, 2007

.

Good job, mocalleo

You must realize, TrueProgess is probably one of those women who got
left stranded at the prom, and today, is teaching LesbianStudies
at a university? somewhere.

LOL

[gunownerdan]

Hillary Clinton is just another member of the CFR(Council on Foreign Relations) along with Bush, Cheney, Giuliani, Romney, Thompson, McCain, Obama, Edwards, Biden, and Richardson just to name a few.
The CFR has hijacked the foreign policy of both parties and their main goal is to destroy American soveriengty and our constitution leading to the formation of a North American Union with Canada and Mexico.
Dr. Ron Paul is NOT a member of the CFR and he is the only anti-war and pro-liberty candidate running for president.
ronpaul2008.com

[trueprogress]

Hillary does not get easy questions, she only makes it look that way by giving concise and thoughtful answers. As a Professor of Woman''s Studies, at a Major Ivy L. College (East Coast), I have been running classes in the obecessive/realitivity of media interactions with candidates, based upon scientic sociologic/madated scoring. She by all counts get the drilling . Mr O. has also had his turn, as a minority, in terms of difficult give and take. This is defined by our studies, case closed.
It is much like a sporting event. Where it is 5th down and your team has the ball. To you, 5 yards is a long way to go, but to the other side, it is short. All in perception unless you fully analyze and dissect, as I am trained to do.
I am glad to be of some help in this discussion.Must go to class.

[prinzowhales]

ThinkProgress-- I would have voted for Cynthia McKinney...a woman of character...I would not vote for Clinton on a bet...she has no character, she is as phoney as a three dollar bill and despite all of the ''Stein-stutter''-esque, pseudo-intellectual clap- trap regarding her supposed strengths...she serves the same masters as her pig of a husband...a pig whose droppings NOW discreetly tippy-toed around on their dainty little cloven hoofs despite his almost ritualistic debasement of women.

[signof4]

It''''s too bad, and shameful, H.R. Clinton was not asked a single hard question, and irresponsible no one insisted upon a straight answer.
Posted by tucanofulano at 03:10 PM : Oct 31, 2007

And no one in the LAMEstream media ever will. She will never have to answer for Sandy Burgler being on her campaign team, not releasing docs from the Clinton library, not giving back her $850K Chinese contributions.

In other words, things that would require a republican to be deported, she gets to skate.

[rushman71]

TrueProgress: I am SOOOOO glad that I''ve never had a "professor" like you!!! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!

[rushman71]

Die, Clinton, Die!!!

[usaprophet]

Most Americans just don''t seem to care that our nation, along with the Constitution upon which it was founded, is being flushed-down the NWO toilet by our nations'' ruling elite. While Congress and the President warn and insite fear in the sheeple about the prospect of terrorism, they at the same time leave our border wide open, and fund and conduct illegal wars overseas that do nothing but encite the terrorism which their Draconian Laws like the Patriot Act and The Real ID Act pretend to protect us from. Think about it. What would you do, if someone invaded the U.S. for no reason, and took over. You''d be mad as hell, and you''d be making trips to their country in order to give a little payback. Wake up America! It''s not about protecting you from terrorism, or saving our planet from Global Warming, or any of that fear-mongering garbage the tube feeds you 24/7. It''s about feeding the military industrial complex and facilitating the ruling elite''s ability to ratchet-down control over the American people, placing us into a total control grid where they can surveille, track and control everywhere we go and everything we do. It''s the groundwork for totalitarianism. I weep for my country, and for those of you who are so distracted, dumbed-down, or outright brainwashed by mainstream media, which endlessly regurgitates scientifically-crafted streams of information aimed at keeping your eyes closed to the realities of the world around you, that you fail to recognize this. Go Ron Paul!.