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| Home Front: Politix | ||
| Hillary Clinton To Woo Troops (yeah, that'll work...) | ||
| 2005-12-04 | ||
| Newsweek: Dec. 12, 2005 issue - This summer, the reserve Officers Association presented Sen. Hillary Clinton with its President's Award for her work on behalf of soldiers. On the morning of the ceremony, the event's organizers were a little nervous. While they were in the White House, the Clintons were never regarded warmly within the ranks or among the brass, and the First Lady was seen as especially hostile to the military. (There are still soldiers who swear by the myth that she banned uniforms at the White House.) It was rumored that some officers were planning to walk out of the award ceremony. As it turned out, the audience did stand up, but not to leave. When Clinton's name was announced, she received a standing ovation. "If you'd asked me three years ago, I would have been surprised," says Lt. Col. Lou Leto, the group's spokesman. "[But] she's one of our strongest advocates." Ha ha ha! That's a good one! It is no accident that hawks inside and outside the military are reconsidering Hillary Clinton. She may have entered the Senate in 2001 with three strikes against her—she was a woman, a Democrat and a Clinton. But Senator Clinton immediately began a methodical campaign to undo her image as a dovish liberal with no interest in military affairs. Post 9/11, she was quick to recognize that Democrats—and especially one all but openly running for president—were vulnerable on defense issues. It was a trap she has seemed determined to avoid. She supported the Iraq invasion and has resisted the call for a quick withdrawal championed by Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha. "In the wake of 9/11, America will not vote for anyone they do not trust to protect them," says national-security analyst Lawrence Korb. "She grasps that." In New York, Clinton's pro-military posture helped broaden her appeal beyond liberal-leaning Manhattan. (She's up for re-election next year, and her Republican opponent is foundering.) Yet it has also touched off grumbling among Democratic Party activists, who have turned strongly against the war in Iraq. Her Senate office has received so many e-mails from frustrated Democrats that she responded last week with a 1,600-word letter, in which she took responsibility for her 2002 vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq, but still blamed President George W. Bush for prewar intelligence failures and the current mess on the ground. On the sticky question of pulling out, she has, in classic Clinton style, attempted to navigate between the hawks she is courting and the doves who make up her base. She wrote Iraq shouldn't be an "open-ended commitment," but at the same time she has avoided specifics about how and when to leave. Um, maybe because she has none? GOP Sen. Lindsay Graham thinks she is Clinton has used her platform on Armed Services to educate herself on defense issues. She receives briefings from military officials and calls big thinkers from her husband's Rolodex, including Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, for advice.
For her efforts, she has begun to win respect within military circles. Retired Gen. Jack Keane, the former vice chief of the Army whom she's consulted about Iraq, says he's praised her to "the guys"—meaning the Pentagon brass. At the same time, Clinton has worked to win over soldiers and their families with old-school constituent service. New York is home to 11,000 soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Clinton's staffers have made sure paychecks arrive on time and care packages reach their destination. She lobbied hard to keep several bases from being closed, and is still pushing to get reservists better health care. In September, the Military Coalition, which represents more than 5 million service people and their families, awarded her its highest honor. But impressing the brass and winning over the troops may turn out to be the easy part.
I think the authors heavily downplay the negative effect of pro-military stances within the Dem party base, although they did give it a courtesy mention. I'll believe Hillary's pro-military stances when I see pigs fly. | ||
| Posted by:Raj |
| #10 what's the Rantburg problem this time? The problem is not in your computer. Do not attempt to adjust the site. We are controlling transmission. |
| Posted by: Halliburton Internet Domination Division 2005-12-04 20:01 |
| #9 Fred runs the place, I'm just a lurker :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-04 19:56 |
| #8 Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers- Error '80040e37' [MySQL][ODBC 3.51 Driver][mysqld-4.1.13a-nt]Table 'rantburg.tblopinion' doesn't exist /Default.asp, line 1081 Fred/Frank...what's the Rantburg problem this time? Signed: Anxious |
| Posted by: mjslack 2005-12-04 19:50 |
| #7 Our first butch Commander in Chief. |
| Posted by: Whailing Omolump1436 2005-12-04 19:13 |
| #6 Written by someone who has absolutely no understanding of the American military culture. The average snuffy can smell BS a mile away but can also play along to make people believe they're in the program when in fact they're mocking those in charge. Been there, seen it, done it. |
| Posted by: Unaque Ulosing1075 2005-12-04 19:03 |
| #5 Never heard of the Reserver Officers Organization, but as always, Google is our friend. Hmm, first item in the news section on their website ( www.roa.org ) is a sale on Dell computers dated 23-Nov. Not a whole lot of content, other than appeals for cash and an event listing showing a conference every 6 months. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2005-12-04 14:32 |
| #4 Typical Clinton Bullshit! She is doing nothing more than following the polls, again! She is not a friend to the military, unless the polls say she should be. What is unforgivable about this woman is she has no moral courage or willingness to gut out the harder right thing to do. When America is worried for the future and afraid what we need is a strong and steadfast leader, not some slimey coward that follows the latest polls! This soldier know a turncoat when he see's one. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2005-12-04 12:18 |
| #3 strictly political charades - she knows she can't be honest on her views and get elected outside the limo liberal crowd |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-04 11:36 |
| #2 maybe she and Jane Fonda could put on a little USO show. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-12-04 11:22 |
| #1 Yeah sure the military can be bought off with a wink and a nod. Not sure why this group honored Clinton and I would be interests who they honored in the past. Like her plan on Iraq there were NO specifics about what Clinton has done. I can't believe that her staff is claiming credit for paycheck and mail delivery? A puff piece and nothing more. She has been and ALWAYS will be anti-military. What's funny is that Clinton was awarded for her support, but the groups own archives show NO Clinton highlights or bills. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-12-04 10:35 |