| Show Campaign rhetoric heats up over Iraq policy i Anne E. E Kornblut The Washington Post Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton has long said she will not apologize for her vote to authorize the war warin warin warin in Iraq beca because se there are no overs do in life Now she and her chief rival for the Democratic nomination Sen Barack agree on that truism When I opposed this war before it began in 2002 I was about to run for the United States Senate and I knew it wasn't the politically popular position said Tuesday during a town hall meeting in Des Moines But I believe then and still do that being a leader i means that you'd better do what's right and leave the politics aside because there are no overs do-overs on an issue as important as war said spoke at the Des DesMoines DesMoines DesMoines Moines Area Community I College a few blocks from where Clinton delivered her II I own speech on Iraq The two Democrats have been in a mouse cat-and-mouse chase for more than a week with both campaigning in Iowa over the July 4 holiday and rolling out their plans planson on Iraq for the Senate to consider this week Clinton in her address at atthe atthe atthe the Temple for Performing Arts repeated her commitment to ending the US U.S. involvement in the war if she is elected president It is time to begin ending this war not next year not next month month but but today she said We have heard for years now that as the Iraqis stand standup standup standup up our troops will stand down Every year we hear about how next year they may start coming home N Now ow we are h hearing aring a anew anew anew new version of that yet again from the president as he has more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever Clinton said With support for the war continuing to crumble across the political spectrum Senate Democrats and in particular the four running for president are making a renewed push to take control of war policy away from President Bush in the form fonn of amendments attached to the Defense Departments Department's spending authorization billup bill billup billup up for debate this week Clinton would repeal the congressional authorization for the war would increase oversight of military contractors and provide more funding for formental formental formental mental health services for veterans Sen Richard Durbin an Illinois Democrat who is supporting noted his colleagues colleague's advantage in being a consistent war critic as Durbin has himself been having opposed the war from its start He drew drewan an implicit contrast with both Clinton D and former fonner Sen John Edwards D who supported the 2002 resolution on the use of force Durbin singled out Edwards for helping to fuel antiwar expectations for congressional action 1 Edwards has chastised 1 1 his fellow Democratic candidates who are serving in the Senate for not pushing hard enough to end the warI warI war I 1 recall when John voted for this war So its it's understandable that he feels badly about that decision and wants to see something done to undo the harm hann that has happened Durbin Durbin said during an appearance on Post Talk But it has to tobe tobe tobe be done in a sensible way |
