Edwards: Clinton would perpetuate US occupation of Iraq Nick Langewis

Published: Sunday November 18, 2007



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Print This Email This With the Iowa caucuses approaching, Senator John Edwards (D-NC), on a Sunday campaign stop, calls the position of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on the United States' occupation of Iraq a tacit approval, and continuation, of war, reports the Associated Press. At town hall meetings in western Nevada, Clinton and Edwards, both seeking the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, aired their proposals for handling Iraq if they were to take office. While Clinton would withdraw troops "as soon as I can," with no timetable offered, Edwards says he would immediately withdraw up to 50,000 troops, and bring the rest home within ten months. "She says that she will end the war," says Edwards, "but she also says she will continue combat missions in Iraq and keep combat troops stationed in Iraq." "From my perspective," continues Edwards, "that's not ending the war...In fact, it's continuing the occupation." "This is a bogus attack from a candidate who is angry that his own campaign hasn't taken off," responds Clinton spokeswoman Hilarie Grey. As The Swamp breaks down, Edwards disagrees that he is "mudslinging," as Clinton has accused him of doing, as if "out of the 'Republican playbook'." "We're talking about substantive issues of war," contends Edwards on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday. "If anybody, including Sen. Clinton, thinks this is mudslinging  this is milquetoast, compared to what we're going to see next fall." While Edwards doesn't call Clinton "corrupt," he does allude to the tendency of people in certain circles to be insulated by Washington culture. Edwards tells CNN's Late Edition that he is not angry, but he is understandably passionate about issues such as Iraq, and moreso, candidates are using this time leading up to the primaries to make sure that Democratic voters have a clear understanding of their positions. Caucus participants, says Edwards, are "looking for the candidate who they believe is ready to be the president." Also, they seek a person who can win a general election, "because they don't want another eight years of a Republican White House."



