Clinton stresses that a 'robust' diplomatic presence will remain in Iraq. Clinton stands firm behind Obama

President Barack Obama marked the end of the Iraq War last week, but he left it to Hillary Rodham Clinton — whose support for the unpopular war in 2003 ultimately helped lift Obama to the White House — to answer tough post-withdrawal questions Sunday.

The Secretary of the State, who voted ‘yes’ on the Iraq invasion in Oct. 2003, appeared on four Sunday morning talk shows to defend the looming American withdrawal as a victory for the Iraqi sovereignty that troops had fought so hard to achieve.


She repeatedly stressed that United States is still committed to buttressing the country’s shaky democracy with a “robust” diplomatic presence, despite pulling out all ground troops by year’s end after negotiations to leave a greater force collapsed over the issue of immunity from prosecution for the remaining soldiers.

“Iraq is a sovereign, independent nation with whom we have very good relations, and we expect to have a continuing strong security relationship with many years to come,” Clinton said on “Fox News Sunday.”

And while she shied away from engaging directly with the criticisms lobbed at Obama by his GOP presidential rivals, her emergence as Obama’s fiercest foreign policy defender continued.

“You can’t, on the one hand, say you’re all for democracy and sovereignty and independence where people get to make their own choices, and on the other hand say that when a choice is made that is foreseen by our own government going back to the Bush administration and validated by the Obama administration and the current government in Iraq, that that somehow is not appropriate,” Clinton said when asked about Mitt Romney’s critique of the withdrawal.

“Because that is what we were there for, to give the Iraqi people the chance to make their own decison.

“What we’ve seen from President Obama over the last two-and-half years and, remarkably, with the events of the last six months is that his kind of smart leadership in a complex world is paying off,” Clinton added. “He was the one who brought [Osama] bin Laden finally down. He was the one who put together a coalition that eventually removed [Muammar] Qadhafi. So I think it’s important that in this very complex, dangerous world that we have someone in the White House who understands America has to lead. But we have to look at every situation and make the right decision.”

Obama took the opportunity Sunday to mark the latest turn of events in Libya: "On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Libya on today’s historic declaration of liberation. After four decades of brutal dictatorship and eight months of deadly conflict, the Libyan people can now celebrate their freedom and the beginning of a new era of promise."

Being interviewed from Uzbekistan, Clinton even mustered a hearty laugh when ABC’s Christiane Amanpour asked if she was in “Herman Cain’s famously designated ‘Beki-beki-beki-bekistan.’”

“Well, you know, there’s a zero-zero-zero chance I’m going to comment on Republican politics,” Clinton said. “But I am in Uzbekistan.”

And Clinton, an administration hawk who prodded Obama to back Libya’s rebels when they were struggling against Muammar Qadhafi last spring, had a stern warning for Iran to keep from meddling too much in Iraqi affairs.

When David Gregory, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” asked the former New York senator what she thought of Iran’s intention to fill the power vacuum left by the exit of western troops in the southern Iraq, Clinton replied: “I think Iran should look at the region. We may not be leaving military bases in Iraq, but we have bases elsewhere. We have support and training assets elsewhere. We have a NATO ally in Turkey. You know, the United States is very present in the region.”

Pressed on “Fox News Sunday” on whether troops are leaving too early, Clinton noted the basic timetable being followed had been originally laid out by the Bush administration.

“You have a bipartisan commitment to withdraw combat troops, and that was viewed as appropriate given the development of the Iraqi security forces,” Clinton said.

“But we always made clear we were open to discussions with the Iraqis if they wanted some kind of continuing presence and what we’ve agreed to is a support and training mission similar to what we have in countries from Jordan to Colombia. And we will be working with the Iraqis. We will also have a very robust diplomatic presence. And we will fulfill what the requests are that the Iraqis have made to us.”