There were reasons why many of us opposed Hillary Clinton candidacy for President. One the main reasons was her strong support for the war in Iraq and her refusal to apologize for her vote to authorize the use of force. In 2006, as Iraq teetered on the edge of civil war, Clinton all of sudden became a strident critic of the Bush administrations Iraq policy. In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she castigated Donald Rumsfeld:
"Yes, we hear a lot of happy talk and rosy scenarios, but because of the administration’s strategic blunders and, frankly, the record of incompetence in executing, you are presiding over a failed policy.
"Given your track record, Secretary Rumsfeld, why should we believe your assurances now?"
Mr. Rumsfeld responded with a trademark colloquialism. "My goodness," he said.
"First of all, it’s true, there is sectarian conflict in Iraq, and there is a loss of life," he said. "And it’s an unfortunate and tragic thing that that’s taking place. And it is true that there are people who are attempting to prevent that government from being successful..."
Well on eve of Hillary's first visit to Baghdad as SOS, during a spate of horrific violence in Iraq, Hillary is engaging in a little happy talk of her own.
I think that these suicide bombings ... are unfortunately, in a tragic way, a signal that the rejectionists fear that Iraq is going in the right direction," Clinton told reporters traveling aboard her plane ahead of her unannounced Saturday visit to Baghdad.
"I think in Iraq there will always be political conflicts, there will always be, as in any society, sides drawn between different factions, but I really believe Iraq as a whole is on the right track," she said, citing "overwhelming evidence" of "really impressive" progress.
"Are there going to be bad days? Yes, there are," Clinton said. "But I don't know of any difficult international situation anywhere in the world or history where there haven't been bad days."
Secretary Clinton's rhetoric is sounding a lot like the BS we frequently heard from the Bushies every time things got tough in Iraq. For months, when confronted by the reality of a failing Iraq policy, W and company responded by saying that insurgent violence was a sign of "desperation." The insurgents were "dead enders" or "rejectionists" standing in the way of a democratic government. Horrendous violence was a sign they were losing and we were succeeding.
The attacks of the past few days, the suicide bombings, are a worrisome development. It's not a sign that the "good guys" are winning. It's a sign that Iraq could spiral into another cycle of violence. I'm afraid to say, Hillary's latest statement to the press is simply more "happy talk" and not the kind candor we've come to expect from this administration.