Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign RelationsĮditor-at-large, The New Republic Jonathan TasiniĢ006 candidate in NY Democratic primaries for the SenateĮxecutive Director, Labor Research Association Visiting Fellow, The Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown UniversityĪuthor, The Senate’s Forgotten Iraq Choice, The New York Times, MaPeter Beinart So the big questions: Did she vote yes, in 2002, for political reasons or because she genuinely believed that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the US - or both? Why on earth did she vote against the Levin amendment if she hoped President Bush would pursue all possible diplomatic options? Why did she use the Bush administration’s rhetorical device of linking Saddam with al-Qaeda? What’s behind her decision not to apologize? And how is all of this playing out in the 2008 presidential campaign? Jeff Gerthįormer investigative reporter, The New York TimesĬo-author, Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton Lincoln Chafee Bush “who misled this country and this Congress.” She says, about her own 2002 vote, “Knowing what we know now, I would never have voted for it.” Unlike John Edwards, though, what she hasn’t done is apologize for it. She now vocally champions troop withdrawal. That same day, she had also voted for a Byrd amendment that would have set a time limit on the use of US forces in Iraq - but that also included procedures for extending the date.Ĭlinton’s other notable Senate action on that day was drawing a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, saying Saddam had given “aid, comfort and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members.”Īs the Iraq war has grown unpopular, Clinton’s public position on it has also changed.

The previous day, she had voted against the Levin amendment, which would have required UN approval for the use of force against Iraq and, failing that, another Congressional vote authorizing the President to use American military force.

She later called that vote “probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make.” Here’s the short course: On October 11th 2002, Hillary Clinton voted to authorize President Bush to use military force against Iraq.

One republic apologize mp3 download