In Des Moines, Iowa this morning, Hillary Clinton demanded that George Bush immediately end the war in Iraq and begin bringing U.S. forces home. Hillary blasted the Bush administration's intransigence, saying, "Our message to the president is clear. It is time to begin ending this war – not next year, not next month – but today."
Clinton let fly some of her sharpest criticism of the Bush administration to date:
"We have heard for years that as the Iraqis stand up, our troops will stand down," she said. "Every year, we hear about how next year they may start coming home. Now, we are hearing a new version of that very familiar song from the president."
The New York senator said it’s no longer possible to "stay the course," with just slight adjustments.
"There are more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever," she said. "Keeping our troops in the crossfire of sectarian violence is not the answer."
She said it’s time to end a war "fought for power, revenge and personal advantage."
Clinton said ending the war will be her "first and most important mission as president."
She said she will also improve health benefits for veterans, help Iraqis who are now refugees, engage people around the world to help stabilize Iraq, and keep her guard up against terrorism in the region.
The speech left Juel Haaland in tears.
"I’m a veteran who knows war is hell," said Haaland, of Ames. "I die with every soldier that gets killed."
Hillary also released a detailed plan that describes precisely how she will end the war as President, if George Bush does not do it first.
Starting Phased Redeployment within Hillary's First Days in Office: The most important part of Hillary's plan is the first: to end our military engagement in Iraq's civil war and immediately start bringing our troops home. As President, one of Hillary's first official actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She would direct them to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration. She would also direct the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to prepare a comprehensive plan to provide the highest quality health care and benefits to every service member -- including every member of the National Guard and Reserves -- and their families.
Securing Stability in Iraq as we Bring our Troops Home. As President, Hillary would focus American aid efforts during our redeployment on stabilizing Iraq, not propping up the Iraqi government. She would direct aid to the entities -- whether governmental or non-governmental -- most likely to get it into the hands of the Iraqi people. She would also support the appointment of a high level U.N. representative -- similar to those appointed in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo -- to help broker peace among the parties in Iraq.
A New Intensive Diplomatic Initiative in the Region. In her first days in office, Hillary would convene a regional stabilization group composed of key allies, other global powers, and all of the states bordering Iraq. The- mission of this group would be to develop and implement a strategy to create a stable Iraq. It would have three specific goals:
* Non-interference. Working with the U.N. representative, the group would work to convince Iraq's neighbors to refrain from getting involved in the civil war.
* Mediation. The group would attempt to mediate among the different sectarian groups in Iraq with the goal of attaining compromises on fundamental points of disputes.
* Reconstruction funding. The members of the group would hold themselves and other countries to their past pledges to provide funding to Iraq and will encourage additional contributions to meet Iraq's extensive needs.
As our forces redeploy out of Iraq, Hillary would also organize a multi-billion dollar international effort -- funded by a wide range of donor states -- under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to address the needs of Iraqi refugees. And as we replace military force with diplomacy and global leadership, Hillary will not lose sight of our very real strategic interests in the region. She would devote the resources we need to fight terrorism and will order specialized units to engage in narrow and targeted operations against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region.
Hillary is the candidate with the most detailed plan for ending the war. In my opinion, she is the only candidate who will be able to step in to the role of President on Day 1 and end the war as quickly, as diplomatically, and as safely as possible. With the mess that Bush and Cheney have left behind, we need a new administration with extensive experience in Middle East affairs, multilateral peace talks, and in successfully working with the United Nations. No other candidate -- Democrat or Republican -- can do what Hillary will do.
SOURCES:
http://desmoinesregister.com/...
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/...