More Obama Research: On Clinton And The Iran Vote

After the jump

** Senator Clinton framed the Iran vote in terms of diplomacy...



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Brian Williams: Same question to Senator Clinton what would be your red line?



Senator Clinton: Well, first of all, we have to try diplomacy, see economic sanctions as a part of diplomacy. we have used it with other very difficult situations like Libya, like North Korea. I think that what we are trying to do here is put pressure on the Bush Administration. Joe is absolutely right. George Bush can do all of this without anybody. you know, that's the great tragedy. That¹s why we have got to reign him in. that's why we need Republican support in the Congress to help us do so. I invite all of our colleagues to pass something immediately to makes it very clear. He has no authority and we will not permit him to go take offensive action against Iran. What we are trying to do is push forward on vigorous diplomacy. That has been lacking. I believe we should be engaged in diplomacy right now with the Iranians. Everything should be on the table. Not just their nuclear program. I have been advocating this for several years. I believe it strongly



BW: Respectfully, Senator, same question though, do you have a threshold, a red line beyond which?



HRC: I want to start diplomacy. I¹m not going to speculate about when or if they get nuclear weapons. We are trying to prevent them from getting so. In my view, rushing to war, we should not be doing that but we shouldn't be doing nothing. That means we should not let them acquire nuclear weapons. The best way to prevent that is a full court press on the diplomatic front.



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...which is what Senator Clinton said about her vote on Iraq...



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** In response to a question from one about explaining Hillary Clinton's Iraq vote to undecided voters, Clinton said he had re-read the Iraq resolution, and that Hillary Clinton had voted only for "coercive inspections."

Clinton justified his wife's refusal to apologize for her vote by explaining that she was acting out of concern that future presidents might need similar language authorizing "coercive inspections to avoid conflict." [ The Hill, 3/23/07]



** Hillary Clinton Called Her Iraq Vote one for "Coercive Diplomacy."

According to USA Today, speaking of her Iraq vote, "Clinton says that vote was not a misjudgment, but a vote for 'coercive diplomacy' ‹ a stick to get weapons inspectors into Iraq ‹ and it's a tool she says presidents must have. 'When somebody disagrees with me, or if they want somebody who has apologized for their judgment about the use of coercive diplomacy and the role that that plays in furthering American national interests, they have other people to vote for,' she said." [ USA Today, 4/12/07]



** Clinton : "I Voted for Diplomacy and Inspection -- Not A Vote For Pre-Emptive War."

In a meeting with the National Association of Black Journalists, Clinton said, "I voted for diplomacy and inspection. People don't usually put it in that larger context, as what many of us thought we were voting for and what Bush did with the vote he was given. At the time, I said my vote was not a vote for pre-emptive war." [ Richard Prince Column, Richard D. Maynard Institute For Journalism Education, 8/9/07]



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KYL-LIEBERMAN PROVIDES JUSTIFICATION TO MAINTAIN FORCES IN IRAQ IN ORDER TO COUNTER IRAN, COULD REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE AS IRAQ



Kyl-Lieberman States That US Military Presence in Iraq Is A Critical Component In Addressing Potential Threats From Iran . Kyl-Lieberman states that "...(1) that the manner in which the United States transitions and structures its military presence in Iraq will have critical long-term consequences for the future of the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, in particular with regard to the capability of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to pose a threat to the security of the region, the prospects for democracy for the people of the region, and the health of the global economy; [and] (2) that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from turning Shi'a militia extremists in Iraq into a Hezbollah-like force that could serve its interests inside Iraq, including by overwhelming, subverting, or co-opting institutions of the legitimate Government of Iraq."