It's hard to find much information on Hillary Clinton's views on Iraq. She's been tight-lipped in the face of not only liberals' criticism of her Iraq positioning, but also the withdrawal strategies laid out by the likes of Feingold and Kerry, two of her potential rivals in `08.
She has nothing on her Senate website about Iraq except for comments in support of expanded veterans' benefits and related issues.
One would almost think we weren't actively engaged in a war judging by her silence on the matter.
So, while hunting around for any recent comments from her on Iraq, I stumbled upon an AP report (cached link) of some remarks she made in Atlanta on October 24:
(more)
The New York Democrat, who has been talked about as a potential presidential candidate in 2008, also said during a speech at an Atlanta synagogue she thinks the U.S. government should rethink its policy in Iraq.
Clinton said she doesn't support a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq nor does she support leaving our troops there for an open-ended period. Instead, she said the U.S. should encourage the Iraqi people to take more control of their security and let them know American troops won't be there forever.
I read her take and scratched my head, and reread her take and scratched my head again. What is it, exactly, that she's supporting here?
- She doesn't support a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq.
- Nor does she support leaving our troops there for an open-ended period.
(Scartching your head on that one? Me, too.)
- The U.S. should encourage the Iraqi people to take more control of their security. (Isn't that the same as Bush's policy?)
- Let them (the Iraqis) know American troops won't be there forever.
Okay, is it just me or does that remind you of the kind of convoluted statement John Kerry might have made while at his long-winded worst during the campaign?
So what, exactly, is Clinton advocating for Iraq?
From testimony before Congress, we know that Iraqis are less equipped today to defend and police themselves than they were a year ago. What makes Clinton believe that this administration (or any administration, for that matter) will be any farther along in this endeavor a year from now? (See: Vietnamization)
How will the Iraqis know (or, why should they believe) that we're leaving if we don't tell them when we plan to leave?
So what is Hillary's current take on Iraq?
It's as clear as mud.