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Hillary Clinton calls for cap on US troops in Iraq
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ShareJanuary 17, 2007 7:52 AM
ABC News' Teddy Davis and Tahman Bradley Report: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) endorsed putting a cap on the number of U.S. troops in Iraq as of Jan. 1, 2007 and called President Bush's plan to send additional troops to Iraq "at best. . . a holding pattern," while appearing on NBC's "Today."
Calling for the cap, Sen. Clinton has gone further than her likely opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) -- who has said that his office is investigating ways in which the Congress can halt President Bush's plan to augment troop levels in Iraq.
In her most succinct on camera statements on President Bush's plan she said, "I'm opposed to it. . . I do not think that the strategy has a very high level of success."
While acknowledging that President Bush already has the money needed for the troop surge appropriated in the budget, Sen. Clinton defended her position by arguing that President Bush is weakening the United States' mission in Afghanistan. In particular, she called for sending two additional infantry battalions into Afghanistan while criticizing President Bush's troops surge plan for Iraq by saying that it will take a battalion out of the east of Afghanistan.
"He is taking troops away from Afghanistan where I think he needs to be putting more troops," said Sen. Clinton.
In her first extensive remarks about Iraq since returning from a weekend trip to the war-torn country, the former first lady also reasserted her support for the beginning of a phased redeployment out of Baghdad and eventually out of Iraq, putting conditions on the funding that the U.S. provides Iraq, and calling for a regional conference.
Calling President Bush's strategy a losing strategy, the Senator saw no evidence that the Iraq government is taking the necessary steps to correct its mistakes. "I don't think begging a government that has show no willingness to make tough decision is a strategy," Clinton said.
When asked if Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was qualified to be president, Sen. Clinton punted by saying, "I'm going to let all of those decisions be sorted out by voters."
She declined to formally declare her own presidential ambitions, saying only that she'll "certainly come back" when 'a decision is made."
January 17, 2007 in Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (0)
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