Hillary to Troops: Support for War Fading
In a demoralizing message to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq,
visiting New York Sen. Hillary Clinton told them that Americans back home are
growing increasingly skeptical of President Bush's decision to send them into
battle.
Describing two meetings with G.I.s over turkey dinners in Baghdad, Sen.
Clinton told reporters later that soldiers wanted to know "how the people at
home feel about what we are doing."
Clinton said she told the troops, "Americans are wholeheartedly proud of what
you are doing but there are many questions at home about the (Bush)
administration's policies."
She also suggested that the U.S. could eventually lose the war in Iraq,
contending, "We have to exert all of our efforts militarily, but the outcome is
not assured."
Despite her sour pronouncements, the former first lady insisted that the
soldiers were just as glad to see her as they were President Bush, whose
surprise visit less than 24-hours earlier was greeted with standing ovations.
"It's a positive for the commander-in-chief to visit troops in the field,"
Clinton told reporters, adding, "the troops [also] seemed to appreciate seeing
myself."
Speaking from a secure location just over the Kuwaiti border, Mrs. Clinton
launched one verbal salvo after another at the White House, arguing that Bush
officials had been "obsessed" with getting Saddam Hussein and saying the
perception blinded them to the difficulties of deposing his regime.
"The Pentagon tried to make do with as few troops as possible, as light a
footprint as they could get away with," Clinton said. "Now, we're playing
catchup . . . Unfortunately, I don't think they fully appreciated the conditions
we would encounter."
The top Democrat also reprised her charge that the White House is being less
than candid when it comes to apprising the American people of the costs of the
war.
"The obstacles and problems here are much greater than the administration
usually admits to," she said, adding, "Everybody has to be
honest."
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