Clinton zeros in on Iraq
A day after a contentious congressional hearing on the war, the Democratic candidate demands Bush divulge an end strategy and blasts McCain and Obama's positions.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton warned President Bush today not to "saddle the next president" with a security agreement that extends the U.S. commitment in Iraq beyond his presidency.
"The U.S. Congress has to have the chance to review and vote on any long-term security agreement he is negotiating with the Iraqis," she said. One day after Army Gen. David H. Petraeus testified before Congress, Clinton called on Bush, who plans to make a statement on Iraq on Thursday, "to answer the question that Gen. Petraeus did not -- what is our end strategy?"
With less than two weeks to go before the crucial April 22 Pennsylvania primary, Clinton and her rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, were back on the campaign trail today, talking in town hall meetings and through a blizzard of campaign ads designed to show a personal side to voters.
The Clinton ads showcased the New York senator's family ties to Scranton, saying she was raised "on pinochle and the American dream." Obama has a new commercial pitching his ties to women, which features his wife Michelle and their two children, along with his half-sister and grandmother.
At a "Solutions for a Strong Military" rally in Aliquippa, Pa., Clinton blasted her opponents for their positions on the war, saying she would be "the best commander in chief, ready from Day One." She continued to question Obama's commitment to withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq, quoting Obama's former foreign policy advisor, Samantha Power, as saying the Obama withdrawal plan was "just words." Clinton made no mention of the fact that Power was forced to resign from the campaign.
And Clinton continued to characterize Republican John McCain as favoring a 100-year commitment of U.S. troops in Iraq. "It's alright with him if we kept troops in Iraq for up to 100 years," she said, though the McCain campaign has said the Arizona senator was talking about occupation forces, not combat troops. "Yesterday, he basically reiterated his support for the course we are on."
In an early-morning interview on National Public Radio, Clinton called it a "double standard" that some national figures are calling on her to bow out of the race. Although trailing Obama in the popular vote and in pledged delegates, Clinton said she wondered, "Why is the question directed at me? I mean, neither of us has the number of delegates to win. It is a problem for both of us."
johanna.neuman@latimes.com
