Hillary's position, or lack thereof, on TPP has been the source of much comment here on DKos. When it came up again in a totally unrelated diary I wrote, it got me thinking - can I learn anything from what is her most important vote to-date, her vote in favor of the Iraq war.
Thanks to Randian for including a transcript of Hillary's speech on her vote in this diary from 2008.
As I read the speech this jumped out at me:
I will take the President at his word that he will try hard to pass a UN resolution and will seek to avoid war, if at all possible
Questionable judgement.
Then this:
Because bipartisan support for this resolution makes success in the United Nations more likely, and therefore, war less likely, and because a good faith effort by the United States, even if it fails, will bring more allies and legitimacy to our cause, I have concluded, after careful and serious consideration, that a vote for the resolution best serves the security of our nation.
My first thought is what our mother's used to say "And I suppose if everyone jumped off a bridge, you would too." My second thought is that so many of the great moments of our history rise from when someone took the unpopular position and stood alone. And so many of the regrettable moments are when the "popular" or ""consensus" position carried the day.
This deference to authority and group think seems to be a long-standing character trait. I had previously noted this in her entry in Wickipedia "In early 1968, she was elected president of the Wellesley College Government Association and served through early 1969;[24][26] she was instrumental in keeping Wellesley from being embroiled in the student disruptions common to other colleges." The wrong side of history again, or rather previously.
I am not encouraged by this.