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Clinton's Iran Threat Contradicts Previous Position on Making Such Comments

April 22, 2008 9:50 AM

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, told Chris Cuomo on GMA this morning that should Iran attack Israel with nuclear weapons, "I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran...In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

The comment seems to contradict previous statements Clinton has made on the subject -- not so much about her willingness to attack Iran, but about the wisdom of discussing such a move.

During a debate on MSNBC last October, moderator Brian Williams asked Clinton what her "red line" would be "concerning when to, if to attack Iran? What would make it crystal-clear in your mind that the United States should attack Iran?"

Clinton at the time wouldn't answer the question, even when pressed by Williams, who had to come back at her after she gave a lengthy non-responsive answer.
"Respectfully, Senator," Williams said, "same question though: Do you have a threshold…?

Clinton would only say, "I want to start diplomacy….I am not going to speculate about when or if they get nuclear weapons."

Her current remarks are quite a contrast from that cautiousness.

Moreover, at the AFL-CIO candidate forum last August after Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Chris Dodd, D-Conn., got into a heated exchange about Obama's pledge to attack targets within Pakistan -- with or without the Pakistani government's permission -- should he as president get actionable intelligence of high-value al Qaeda targets in that country.

Clinton at that time scolded her colleagues for having the discussion.

“Well, I do not believe people running for president should engage in hypotheticals," she said. "And it may well be that the strategy we have to pursue on the basis of actionable intelligence -- but remember, we’ve had some real difficult experiences with actionable intelligence -- might lead to a certain action."

Clinton said then that she thinks "it is a very big mistake to telegraph that and to destabilize the Musharraf regime, which is fighting for its life against the Islamic extremists who are in bed with al Qaeda and Taliban.  And remember, Pakistan has nuclear weapons.  The last thing we want is to have al Qaeda-like followers in charge of Pakistan and having access to nuclear weapons.  So you can think big, but remember, you shouldn’t always say everything you think if you’re running for president, because it has consequences across the world.  And we don’t need that right now."

So what has changed other than her desire to appear tougher than Obama?

It would seem to me that her threat to Iran is a direct contradiction of her refusal last October to engage in speculation about when she would take military action against Iran, as well as a contradiction of her pish-poshing last August about engaging in foreign policy hypotheticals.

- jpt

April 22, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (95)

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lets say that iran does somehow get the nuke and attack isreal...how do u go about obliterating over 70 million ppl because about 8 million isrealis were killed??

SAY NO TO WAR...

Posted by: arshybarshy | Apr 25, 2008 12:13:45 PM

Hillary's Iran Statement - IS REALLY DISTURBING. Open your eyes and say no to undiplomatic candidates. She is the Warmonger in the group.

Posted by: latinovoter1 | Apr 24, 2008 9:54:48 PM

Sorry for democracy and democratic party to have a member like Hillary with such an idea belongs to middle ages. Sorry

Posted by: peace | Apr 24, 2008 4:56:56 AM


Good Grief. She is either too harsh, or too soft... too strong, or weak. Seems ice cold, seems too emotional. Talk about a double bind. What would you want her to say? I don't mind if they have nukes.. that is okay with us... no problem. You know, if Obama
said this he would be cheered as being suitable for commander in chief. But if a woman says it,all hell breaks loose. I don't care if you don't vote for Hillary--but making a decision on whether something she says in April might contradict something she said in October seems a bit of a stretch. I wonder why the media continue to ask the same questions, in all varieties of ways, over and over, until they get a "gotcha' answer. I know of nobody whose life could stand up to scrutiny 24/7, monitoring every utterance, and not offend some, and not have a contradiction. Nobody on the entire earth.. including Michelle Obama, as we all have seen.

GO HILLARY.

Posted by: Jan Staheli | Apr 23, 2008 5:49:08 PM

Now Hillary is talking about "obliterating Iran." Doesn''t she realize that she it talking about killing millions of innocent men, women and children? She is already partly responsible for the death of about a million Iraqis and the dispossession of millions more. Has she no humanity in her at all? I won’t let her send my son to die in Iran.

The only war she has seen is her fictional account of her "corkscrew landing in Bosnia and dodging bullets as she ran across the tarmac.” I believe this woman is truly sick.

GO OBAMA

Posted by: jbate | Apr 23, 2008 12:53:34 PM

I think Hillary would bomb Florida if she thought it would help her win.

This women would do anything to win.

Also, I just don't want an ugly president.

Posted by: jbate | Apr 23, 2008 12:51:06 PM

proudamerican2008,

please seek help
you are so wrong and so full of hatred that I can not even dignify you with an answer. I am voting for Nader. However, I have great respect for Senator Obama.

Posted by: anotherproudamerican | Apr 23, 2008 10:03:04 AM

Clinton is being more bellicose than Bush. Has she learned nothing from her considered MISjudgement to support him on Iraq? What is the point of ridding the White House of one crazed aggressive cowboy and replacing him with Annie Oakley? Are these outrageous remarks the result of the experience she so constantly touts? Maybe when she was woken at 3am and said "Bill, it's for you" she then went back to sleep. She's already told us that she "mis-speaks" when she doesn't get enough sleep. Not a good enough reason to obliterate millions of people. Time now for the Democrat superdelegates to come off the fence and put an end to the toxic campaign of this war-monger.

Posted by: Rick Jones | Apr 23, 2008 6:36:10 AM

Hillary is a warmonger. I honestly think she lays awake at night daydreaming about being the first woman president who started a war and carried it to a dramatic win. She scares the heck out of me. what is wrong with this woman?

Posted by: karela | Apr 22, 2008 5:50:41 PM

Nothing has changed! This is typical Hillary. Say anything do anything to win, she is trying to pander to all demographics, to the point of where no one can say where she stands. She voted for it but hoped it wouldn't pass.

She can't be trusted.

Obama08

Posted by: Thinking | Apr 22, 2008 5:26:40 PM

She should be in a straitjacket, and tried for treason for not supporting America's interests first.

Posted by: MRW | Apr 22, 2008 4:47:45 PM

She's a hero you guys!!!!

Didn't you see her in action in Bosnia?

Posted by: Erna Beetge | Apr 22, 2008 4:13:13 PM

Does "totally obliterate" mean kill all 65 million people including 40 million women and children?

Such words from a US President would only built support in Iran for Ahmadenajad's worst ambitions including restarting the nuclear weapons program that our own intelligence says was stopped.

Posted by: Young Atheart | Apr 22, 2008 4:06:04 PM

ehsan

this has absolutely nothing to do with different standards for men and women...

anyone who started touting Nuclear "obliteration" and or an umbrella of protection that would "massively retaliate" is saying my weapon is bigger than your weapon...

this is NOT russia who had weapons when Reagan stood up to them with the arms race...

this is a country that does not have them yet and would love to be able to say they are threatened with nuclear attack from the west.

This was just plain stupid on Clintons part.

She is trying so hard to look tough and absolutely is showing she has no idea what that means different then...well what Goerge Bush does...until the American people's poll numbers show her that is not the right choice.

She is playing that choice and does not get it.

Even Mccain can use this...all he said was "bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran"

he never said to nuclearly "obliterate" them without question of Russia or China's reaction. or that Israel has it's own nuclear armament. or that we should never get there.

or propose an umbrella organization on the US's dime to protect any country (that in theory we are going to protect anyway) and by doing so seriously hamstring the congress in any oversight...and you wonder why she didn't apologize really for voting to remove those oversights.

To argue that this has something to do with the double standard that definitively exists on so many issues between men and women ...is to hurt the real argument and reality...and domuch more damage to women's issues than good.

She does not have the right judgement for this job. Senate majority leader maybe...President absolutely not.

Posted by: dl | Apr 22, 2008 3:50:07 PM

Some American politicians never miss any chance to create hatred. They just wish to brainwash the American people for their personal interests.

Posted by: PeterS | Apr 22, 2008 3:24:51 PM

I voted for Hillary on February 5th, but now I wish I could take it back. I don't want a President who talks about obliterating people. She's clearly lost her mind. For some reason I still think of Hillary and Bill as these scrappy underdogs from Arkansas circa 1992. That's not who they are anymore. They're neocons now.

Posted by: Karen | Apr 22, 2008 3:09:44 PM

I really believe Bill and Hillary simply love to hear themselves talk and themselves don't even believe the stuff coming out of their mouths..

Posted by: indy_voter | Apr 22, 2008 3:03:43 PM

the reason this country is not ready for a woman as president is that we don't see the difference in approaches toward decision making between men and women.

traditionally we are used to expecting "toughness" from presidential candidates because we are fearful of "bad guys" running other countries. so most questions are "what if ..." scenarios around threats from other countries and we expect a "tough" answer, so as to showing that we are tougher, no fear, rest assured, we have a bigger punch and no one will be able to hurt us.

clinton however, as a woman president, has a different approach, that of putting relationships, well-being, and collaboration first before we jump to fear of threats.

Unbelievably, even in the so called democracy and civilization of the US, we are still as human beings, prone to succumb to patriarchal norms, competition to no end, and war over peace. So we don't like it when someone talks about relationships, collaboration, discussions. We like the toughness, just as much as we like WWF, war games for our children, and sex in the media.

When do we, the civilized people, the advanced one, the democratic and free people in the world, want to wake up and denounce destruction and welcome construction?

When?

Most people think that a woman would not be able to push a button (for a nuke attack). Is that what we are fighting for? Who can push a nuke button? McCain can or Obama can but Hillary can't?

If you think women can't push buttons, just look around in your life and see how many of your buttons are pushed by women.

Wake up folks, it's time for real change. It's time for different ways of thinking and approaching problems to get into politics and tip the scale.

Posted by: ehsan | Apr 22, 2008 3:01:14 PM

This Woman HRC is really confused. YOU CAN VISUALIZE CLEARLY. She is at the position of confusing Americans too due to her big lies. One French philosopher said that '...you need to be extra intelligent, with extra memory if you are are a liar...else you must be caught...'!
This candidate HRC, is just spatting anything to get elected! Its very dangerous to America. Suppose she get that presidency and America faces the crossroad of president who has always been a liar, flip flops to woo her political admirers and let America into chaotic reactions unforechecked, this will lead into horrible end!
She is a failure, whom all backers should skip away and let it out for new America, a changed America which can consistently sustain any danger persistently and intelligently and not flip flopping politics which have no direction and vision.
America can view all consistent policy and visionary change advocated by OBAMA. This shows that the future of America needs more intelligent president, caring, cautious, and not abrupt ideological reactionists.
She's RECKLESS, AWKWARD AND POORLY UNPREDICTABLE. She proves to be a really a bad omen for America now and then!...lets keep watching.
ITS OBAMA 2008!

Posted by: Paul Msaki | Apr 22, 2008 2:56:49 PM

Yea!!!! Finally ABC doesnt have its head up Hillary's......

She is not a democrat. She's a neocon.
Her warmongering is Bush and Cheney verbatim. Massive Retailiation? Obliterate?
Hasn't our safety been compromised enought without proving to the world that we are a dangerous take over the world type of country?

For the love of God! Please elect Obama. We have to stop this insanity.

Posted by: Mageduley | Apr 22, 2008 2:33:11 PM

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