Clinton vs Obama on Iraq
The Clinton and Obama campaigns have gone to war over the Iraq war. With an assist from her husband, Hillary Clinton has accused Obama of "inconsistency" on Iraq, and failing to carry through on his initial opposition to the war once he got into the Senate in 2005. On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Bill Clinton dubbed the Obama storyline on the Iraq war as "the biggest fairy tale I have ever seen."
The Obama campaign, meanwhile, has hit back with claims that Obama always favored a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, in contrast to Clinton's equivocation on the issue. A leading Obama supporter, former assistant secretary of state Susan Rice, said on MSNBC that Obama had been pushing for an Iraq withdrawal "since 2002," an obvious error since the U.S. only entered Iraq in 2003.
To resolve this dispute, I have assembled a chronology of Obama and Clinton statements and actions on Iraq with the help of Emily Freifeld, a producer at washingtonpost.com. Several points emerge from this chronology:
Obama has been consistent in his opposition to the Iraq war. His Oct. 2, 2002, speech opposing the war stands in clear contrast to Clinton's vote later that same month to authorize military action.
Once the U.S. went into Iraq, Obama's position became much more nuanced. While he still opposed the war, he was not in favor of an early pullout. In 2004, he even talked about sending more U.S. troops to Iraq in order to stabilize the country as a prelude to an eventual withdrawal.
His Senate voting record on Iraq is quite similar to that of Hillary Clinton. Both senators waited until May 2007 before they finally voted to cut off funds for the war, on the grounds that the administration had not agreed to a firm timetable for withdrawal. They both voted against a June 2006 amendment proposed by John Kerry (D-Mass.) for the redeployment of U.S. troops. A list of votes compiled by the Clinton campaign is available here.
Clinton and Obama on Iraq: A Chronology
2002
Oct. 2. Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama gives speech opposing war in Iraq. He said he did not oppose "all wars," but he opposed "dumb wars," and wanted to finish the job against al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden rather than start a new war in Iraq. He predicted that "even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences."
Oct. 11. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) casts vote to authorize use of military force in Iraq if President Bush determines that "diplomatic means" fail to remove the "national security threat" against the United States. See authorization resolution here. In Oct. 10 floor speech, Clinton described the Senate vote as Saddam Hussein's "last chance -- disarm or be disarmed." She said her vote is not "a vote for any new doctrine of preemption."
2003
March 20. Invasion of Iraq begins. See chronology here.
Nov. 3. U.S. Senate approves $87 billion package for military operations and reconstruction in Iraq on a voice vote. Clinton's vote not officially recorded.
Nov. 16. Obama tells Chicago community activists that he would have voted against the $87 billion package, explaining, "At a certain point, we have to say no to George Bush." See video here. In January 2008, Clinton claimed in speeches and interviews in New Hampshire that Obama promised never to fund the war. Her aides cite this 2003 speech as evidence, but context shows that Obama was referring specifically to the $87 billion request, not future requests.
2004
July 26. In an interview with the New York Times, prior to his speech at the Democratic Party convention, Obama declines to criticize presidential nominee John Kerry for his 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq war. Says he was "not privy to Senate intelligence reports." He then continued: "What would I have done? I don't know. What I know is that from my vantage point the case was not made."
July 27. Obama tells Chicago Tribune that U.S. forces should remain in Iraq to stabilize the war-torn country. Says "there is not much difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage," but is critical of Bush for bungling the occupation. Remains opposed to the original decision to invade. In keynote speech to Democratic convention, Obama avoids criticism of the war, saying "there are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported the war in Iraq."
September 19. Associated Press reports that Obama, running for Illinois Senate seat, would be willing to send more troops to Iraq if it would create conditions for eventual withdrawal. Says it would be "an extraordinary accomplishment" if U.S. could withdraw from Iraq in four years. Remains opposed to invasion decision.
2005
Jan. 4. Obama sworn in as U.S. senator.
Jan. 13. Obama tells Secretary of State designate Condoleeza Rice, in Senate confirmation hearing, that he is "rooting for success" in Iraq, while pressing her for a better-defined exit strategy.
Feb. 19. Clinton, making her second trip to Iraq, says that "insurgency is failing" and much of Iraq is "functioning quite well" despite a rash of suicide bombings.
April 13. Obama opposes Sense of Senate amendment not to delay vote on providing military funding for Iraq because of a concurrent debate on immigration reform. Clinton votes in favor.
Nov. 22. In speech to Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, Obama calls for "gradual" withdrawal from Iraq in 2006 and criticizes Bush administration for trying to stiffle dissent on the war.
Nov. 29. Clinton says for first time that she was misled by Bush administration on the Iraq war, and would not have voted to authorize the war in 2002 "based on what we now know." In a letter to her constituents, she said that the White House failed to deliver on assurances that it would exhaust all diplomatic means before going to war.
2006
May 30. Clinton tells Washington Post that she is opposed both to a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq and to an open-ended commitment.
June 21. In Senate floor speech, Obama calls for a "blueprint for an expeditious yet responsible exit from Iraq," but opposes a "date certain for the total withdrawal of U.S. troops." Both
Obama and Clinton oppose June 22 Kerry amendment that would require "the redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq in order to further a political solution in Iraq."
2007
Feb. 8. Obama votes for confirmation of former Iraq commander, Gen. George W. Casey, as Army chief of staff. Clinton votes against. (Corrected)
April 26. Obama and Clinton both vote in favor of bill to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within one year. The measure is promptly vetoed by President Bush.
May 24. Both Obama and Clinton vote against a $124 billion Iraq war spending bill because there is no withdrawal date for U.S. troops.
Sept. 19. Obama and Clinton vote in favor of amendment to require longer rest periods for troops between deployments in Iraq.
Sept. 21. Obama and Clinton vote in favor of amendment to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq within 90 days.
Nov. 16. Both Obama and Clinton vote against a Bush administration request for $70 billion in emergency supplemental funds for the Iraq war.
Dec. 18. Obama and Clinton co-sponsor requiring troop withdrawal and cut-off in combat funds from Iraq. However, neither senator returns from the campaign trail to vote for the amendment, which is defeated 71-24.
The Pinocchio Test
As you might expect in a political campaign, both Clinton and Obama have given one-sided versions of their records on the Iraq war. The Clinton camp has taken snippets from Obama interviews, particularly his July 2004 remarks on the eve of the Democratic convention, and quoted them out of context. The Obama camp has overstated the difference between Obama and Clinton on Iraq from 2004 onward. |
