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Chris Cillizza wrote on The Fix this afternoon about Hillary Clinton's strong words to an audience in New Hampshire, as well as her new policy statement unveiled in a video on her website called the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act.
Hillary has been getting a lot of press lately for her refusal to apologize for her Iraq war vote. She is hounded at almost every campaign stop by anti-war activists, and many liberals are refusing support until she does apologize for her vote.
Earlier this week I wrote about the great David Brooks op-ed in The Times. Brooks said she shouldn't apologize, and evidently, that is exactly what Hillary thinks too. Chris Cillizza wrote,
And, in an appearance this morning in New Hampshire, Clinton had a strong response for those who say she must apologize for her 2002 vote on the use of force resolution against Iraq. "Obviously I would not vote that way again if we knew then what we now know," she said. "But I have to say that if the most important thing to any of you is choosing someone who did not cast that vote or has said his vote was a mistake then there are others to chose from. But to me the most important thing now is trying to end this war." (emphasis mine)
This move was smart. John Kerry was killed as a flip-flopper and while other politicians have come out and apologized for their Iraq war vote, Hillary would have been late to the game, and would undoubtedly be labeled as a "flip-flopper" who only changed her position when the political climate dictated--a very Clintonian virtue.
Clinton is not apologizing, and to top it off, she is calling for a phased redeployment of troops starting in 90 days!
More than the $100 million she will raise this year, Clinton will win because she is the smartest candidate. She has devoted her life to studying the office of the presidency for the last 14 years--first with her husband, and now with Bush.
This move shows the beautiful blend of the two presidents she has created. On the one hand she keeps her Clintonian bi-partisanship (watch the video) and will look to compromise. But on the other hand she takes a very Bushian stance by refusing to apologize, and goes on the offensive.
You may have missed...David Brooks on Clinton's "Mistake"