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Hillary moves left

January 17, 2007 6:04 PM

Reporter's notebook...

The junior senator from New York came to a press conference to tell a packed room all about her trip to Iraq with poor perpetually overshadowed Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana, and Rep. John McHugh, R-NY. But instead she announced she was announcing legislation on Iraq.

It has three general parts:

1) STOP THE SURGE

The bill would cap troop levels at the level as of January 1, 2007, pre-escalation, about 130,000, and require the President to get Senate authorization for any escalation in US forces.

2) STOP FUNDING SECTARIANISM

The bill would stop funding Iraqi security forces if they don't remove sectarian militias from the Iraqi army and police. That includes stopping funding for the private contractors who are paid to guard Iraqi government officials.

3) BENCHMARKS FOR THE IRAQIS -- AND FOR THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

The bill would set up benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet including:

Making substantial progress on disarming the militias (progress that must be certified by the Bush administration);

ensuring equitable sharing of oil revenues among ethnic groups (which must be certified by the Bush administration);

passing constitutional changes to ensure rights for each ethnic community; and

reversing de-Baathification to allow teachers and professionals who joined the Baath party in order to get job to be able to make a living.

And benchmarks for the Bush administration, requiring its officials to:

conduct a regional diplomatic initiative which includes all of Iraq's neighbors; and

begin a phased redeployment of US troops.

If these benchmarks are not met, the Bush administration would be required to obtain a new Senate authorization for the war.

The bill has not been drafted yet, I'm told; Clinton hopes to introduce it in the coming weeks, get co-sponsors, work out language, etc. etc.

When I asked, she acknowledged that she knows the bill will not become law -- "I can count," she said to me -- but feels it's important to pressure both the Iraqi government and the Bush administration.

One could also observe that the junior senator from New York, said to be contemplating a presidential run, is under fire from anti-war liberals and this establishes her in a major way as taking a strong position against the war.

The ball's in your court, Mr. Obama.

-- jt

January 17, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)

User Comments

Good for Clinton. Long overdue.

Posted by: DKNY | Jan 18, 2007 8:51:27 AM

So Hillary reclaims the headlines by doing the right thing in finally having Congress oversee what they should have overseen long ago. Whether this legislation passes, it will have established Hillary as a formidable opponent of the war and will burnish her credentials as a Dem front-runner for President.

Posted by: chuck | Jan 18, 2007 8:01:31 AM

Bravo! This smells like doing the right thing, not a political move. Good for Hillary for taking a stand. THIS is leadership.

Posted by: cordelia525 | Jan 17, 2007 8:40:00 PM

re: Backgrounder on Obama.

You reference his lack of experience in your story. He's 45. He's got a law degree from Havard. He was a financial writer. He spent considerable time as an organizer dealing with some of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods and the challenges of getting people to work together to solve their own problems. He spent 6 years in the State House. He has spent his whole life in hardcore pursuit of public service. On top of that, he grew up in Hawaii and the South Pacific. And he is incredibly well read and intelligent. I like that lack of experience. He's got what this world needs now.

Posted by: TW | Jan 17, 2007 7:41:26 PM

As Mr. Rogers might have said: “Can you say ‘disingenuous’ boys and girls?”

Posted by: flyover | Jan 17, 2007 7:37:05 PM

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