IRAQ RECORD REWRITE

From AZ National Committeeman
BRUCE ASH






As Democrat Race Heats Up, Sen. Clinton And Sen. Obama Work To Change The Facts On Their Iraq Records
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SEN. HILLARY CLINTON'S (D-NY) IRAQ REWRITE

Sen. Clinton Claims She Supported The Iraq War Resolution In Part Because It Was Drafted By Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE):

Sen. Clinton And Former President Bill Clinton Say That Sen. Hagel's Involvement In Drafting The Use Of Force Authorization Against Iraq Is Proof That The Measure Was Intended To Put Pressure On Saddam Hussein. "In interviews and at a recent campaign event, [Bill and Hillary Clinton] have said that Mr. Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, helped draft the resolution, which they said was proof that the measure was more about urging Saddam Hussein to comply with weapons inspections, instead of authorizing combat." (Eric Lipton, "In Defending War Vote, Clintons Contradict Record," The New York Times, 1/14/08)

But The Use Of Force Authorization Sen. Clinton Supported Was Not The Measure Drafted By Sen. Hagel:

"It Was The White House Proposal, Not Mr. Hagel's, That Mrs. Clinton Supported, Explaining In An Oct. 10, 2002, Speech On The Senate Floor That It Was Time To Tell Saddam Hussein That 'This Is Your Last Chance -- Disarm Or Be Disarmed.'" (Eric Lipton, "In Defending War Vote, Clintons Contradict Record," The New York Times, 1/14/08)

The Resolution Drafted By Sen. Hagel Is Not The One That Sen. Clinton Voted For. "In the original proposal Mr. Hagel had backed, force was authorized only to secure the destruction of Iraq's unconventional weapons, not to enforce 'all relevant' United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq, which was the language in the version that ultimately passed." (Eric Lipton, "In Defending War Vote, Clintons Contradict Record," The New York Times, 1/14/08)
Sen. Clinton Said She Was Only Voting For A Diplomatic Solution In Iraq, But Voted Against Legislation Requiring The President To Exhaust All Diplomatic Options:

Sen. Clinton: "I have taken responsibility for that vote. It was based on the best assessment that I could make at the time, and it was clearly intended to demonstrate support for going to the United Nations to put inspectors into Iraq." (John DiStaso, "Hillary: I Didn't Vote For 'Pre-Emptive War,'" The [Manchester] Union Leader, 2/10/07)

"Senator Carl Levin, Democrat Of Michigan, Unsuccessfully Offered An Approach That Would Have Required Mr. Bush To Return To Congress For A Second Approval If He Was Unable To Build An International Coalition For A Move Against Iraq." (Elizabeth Bumiller and Carl Hulse, "Threats And Responses: The Overview," The New York Times, 10/12/02)

Sen. Clinton Voted Against The Levin Amendment. (S.J. Res. 45, CQ Vote #235: Rejected 24-75: R 1-47; D 22-28; I 1-0, 10/10/02, Clinton Voted Nay)
Sen. Clinton's Vote Against The Levin Amendment Undercuts Her Argument That She Was Voting For A Diplomatic Solution In Iraq:

Sen. Clinton Biographer Carl Bernstein Says She Was "Disingenuous In Explaining Her Vote" On The Iraq War. Carl Bernstein: "The point is that she was disingenuous in explaining her vote [on the Iraq war]. And in fact, she has been rather consistent in her philosophy. Support the President. She believes in supporting presidents. She was in the White House for eight years. But when she said that I voted for that resolution because I expected...George Bush to go back to the U.N., there is no one that I know in the U.S. Senate that believes that is why she voted for it. Because she voted against the so-called Levin amendment that would have required the President to go back to the U.N." (PBS' "The Charlie Rose Show," 6/4/07)

Democrat Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) Said That "Everyone Knew What That Vote Was About." MSNBC's Chris Matthews: "I still am in wonder of how Hillary Clinton can keep saying she didn't vote for the war." Sen. Webb: "Well, I think everybody knew what that vote was about." (MSNBC's "Hardball," 10/2/07)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA'S (D-IL) IRAQ REWRITE

Today's Chicago Sun-Times Reports That Sen. Obama Claimed He Would Vote Against Funding When Running For Senate:

In 2004, Sen. Obama Said He Would Have Voted Against The $87 Billion For Troops In Iraq. "When Barack Obama was running for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois in 2004, he filled out a questionnaire for the Chicago Sun-Times answering 'no' to this question: Would you have voted for the $87 billion supplemental appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan?" (Lynn Sweet, "Obama Said 'No' To Iraq Money In Theory, 'Yes' In Reality," Chicago Sun-Times, 1/14/07)

"Once Elected To The Senate, Obama Voted For A Series Of War Funding Measures ..." (Lynn Sweet, "Obama Said 'No' To Iraq Money In Theory, 'Yes' In Reality," Chicago Sun-Times, 1/14/07)
Since, Sen. Obama Has Reversed Positions On Funding For Troops In Iraq, Despite Rhetoric To The Contrary:

"'I Think That Nobody Wants To Play Chicken With Our Troops On The Ground,' Said Obama." (Mike Glover, "Obama Says Congress Will Fund Iraq War After Expected Bush Veto," The Associated Press, 4/1/07)

Sen. Obama: "[W]hat you don't want to do is to play chicken with the President, and create a situation in which, potentially, you don't have body armor, you don't have reinforced Humvees, you don't have night-vision goggles." (CNN's "Late Edition," 4/1/07)
Only One Month After Saying He Did Not Want "To Play Chicken With Our Troops," Sen. Obama Voted Against The Iraq Supplemental Spending Bill. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

And Later In The Year, Sen. Obama Also Voted Against $70 Billion In Emergency Iraq Funding. (S. 2340, CQ Vote #410: Rejected 45-53: R 44-3; D 0-49; I 1-1, 11/16/07, Obama Voted Nay)
Sen. Obama Claims To Be A Leader On Iraq But Waited 11 Months Before Even Talking About Iraq Once He Entered The Senate:

Sen. Obama: "I think it is important to lead. And I think John [Edwards], the fact is I've opposed this war from the start. So you're about four-and-a-half years late on leadership on this issue. And I think it's important not to play politics on something that is as critical and as difficult as this." (Sen. Barack Obama, CNN/WMUR/Union-Leader Democrat Presidential Candidates Debate, Manchester, NH, 6/3/07)

Sen. Obama Waited 11 Months Before Giving A Major Speech On Iraq. "Though Mr. Obama is framing his candidacy to appeal to Democrats who have long opposed the war, until recently he was not among his party's most outspoken voices against it. He campaigned strongly against the war in his bid for the Senate in 2004, but when he arrived in Washington he waited 11 months to deliver a major speech on Iraq." (Jeff Zeleny, "As Candidate, Obama Carves Antiwar Stance," The New York Times, 2/26/07)

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-DE) On Obama's Iraq Rhetoric: "I Don't Recall Hearing A Word From Barack About A Plan Or A Tactic." (Jason Horowitz, "Biden Unbound: Lays Into Clinton, Obama, Edwards," The New York Observer, 2/25/07)

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