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Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Thu Aug 03, 2006 at 07:59:23 PM EST
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Hillary Clinton laced into Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at an Armed Services Committee hearing today.

Like a prizefighter, Clinton smiled and shook hands with Rumsfeld before attacking his policies. "You did not go into Iraq with enough troops," said Clinton, ticking off her grievances. "You disbanded the entire Iraqi army ... You underestimated the nature and strength of the insurgency, the sectarian violence and the spread of Iranian influence."

" . . . You are presiding over a failed policy," she said. "Given your track record, Secretary Rumsfeld, why should we believe your assurances now?"

Afterwards, Hillary said Rumsfeld should quit.

"I just don't understand why we can't get new leadership that would give us a fighting chance to turn the situation around before it's too late," the New York Democrat and potential 2008 presidential contender said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think the president should choose to accept Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation."

"The secretary has lost credibility with the Congress and with the people," she said. "It's time for him to step down and be replaced by someone who can develop an effective strategy and communicate it effectively to the American people and to the world."

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    Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign | 16 comments (16 topical)
    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#1)
    by roger on Thu Aug 03, 2006 at 08:11:15 PM EST
    Wasnt someone the other day asking why dems like Hillary more than Joe L. ? Here's the answer

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#2)
    by jondee on Thu Aug 03, 2006 at 08:38:07 PM EST
    Good call Roger.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Aug 03, 2006 at 10:56:14 PM EST
    So, the first lessons learned and the first shots are fired in the aftermath of the epic Lieberman/Lamont conflagration. The CT Senate race may have taught Hillary Clinton that the politics of moderation and "go-along, get-along" isn't going to win over the Democratic base. To get the 2008 nomination, she has to stand up for something, maybe even be a bit confrontational. Does this indicate a strategic DLC shift to rage from the middle? Naaah. Is Clinton now open to accusations of treason for criticizing a Bush administration official? No, there is something clever about confronting an architect of the Iraq policy rather than the big decider himself.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Thu Aug 03, 2006 at 11:13:42 PM EST
    Too bad she can't be opposed to the war simply because it is a disaster, huh?

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 02:20:35 AM EST
    She didn't impress me one iota. Had she "laced" him for helping them lie us into war, for torturing prisoners, for breaking the Geneva conventions, for invading any country without absolute necessity, and then cracked him for his incompetence, sure. Then I'd have been impressed. Big deal if one war monger wants another to quit.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 05:36:25 AM EST
    agent99, not flaming, but why does Clinton strike you as a war monger? did I miss something?

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#7)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 07:01:46 AM EST
    et al - First of all, Lierbman hasn't lost the Primary. Secondly, he hasn't lost the General. Thirdly, if the Democratic base is anti-war and are calling the shots then the Repubs have won in 2006 and 2008. As for Hillary's statement... Dog bites man.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#8)
    by soccerdad on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 07:14:36 AM EST
    Yeah, saying Rumsfeld is incompetent certainly is dog bites man. Possibly worst Sec of Def ever. This diaster in Iraq will do enormous harm the military.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#9)
    by Sailor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 07:28:49 AM EST
    then the Repubs have won in 2006 and 2008.
    taking advice from ppj on how how dems could win is like taking advice from tom delay on which democrat to vote for. And this commenter ignores the fact that his bloodthirsty views on the war aren't shared by the majority of americans who want the US out of iraq within a year. we're not fighting terrorists, we're in the middle of a civil war.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 08:32:29 AM EST
    The best part of the lashing Rummy received was that Hillary was the one to CONVINCED him to show up. Then when she was done with him he was like, "My Goodness". LMAO! Priceless!

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 03:10:54 PM EST
    smy168 Here positions on it have consistently been about doing the job "right", not about getting out of there. She has done nothing to make me believe that if she had her way, we would be out of there. That is war-mongering in my book. That she has political-triangulation reasons for this makes it even worse. In other words, people keep dying in outrageous numbers partially because of her triangulating instead of legislating appropriately.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#12)
    by Sailor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 04:31:31 PM EST
    In other words, people keep dying in outrageous numbers partially because of her triangulating instead of legislating appropriately.
    Yeah, bush and rummy and condi and tenet's lies had nothing to do with it. She didn't help, but she couldn't have stopped the juggernaut. Plus, she is the Senator from NY, and she was representing what her constituency wanted. That said, I wouldn't vote for her if votes were pea and she was on fire. But that's just me.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 05:50:56 PM EST
    Sailor - We'll just have to wait and see. As of now, I like my chances. And with Jane doing attack pieces in blackface, it gets better everyday.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#14)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 06:58:01 PM EST
    And with Jane doing attack pieces in blackface, it gets better everyday.
    It's not getting any better for your guy, though.

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 07:07:37 PM EST
    Thirdly, if the Democratic base is anti-war and are calling the shots then the Repubs have won in 2006 and 2008. Jim--Right. Because a growing majority of voters now think invading Iraq was just the bestest! foreign! policy! move! ever!

    Re: Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign (none / 0) (#16)
    by Sailor on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 11:46:44 AM EST
    Because a growing majority of voters now think invading Iraq was just the bestest! foreign! policy! move! ever!
    Yep, and a LARGE majority of CT'ers were way ahead of the rest of the country in thinking that.

    Hillary Clinton Says Rumseld Should Resign | 16 comments (16 topical)