Posted on 09/24/2007 1:25:59 PM PDT by Jean S
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was a ubiquitous presence on television Sunday, appearing on five different Sunday talk shows to defend her record and outline her policies on a range of issues including Iraq and health care.
On Iraq, Clinton refused to specify how many troops she would keep in Iraq if she is elected president. “I’m not going to be speculating about troop strength,” she said on ABC’s “This Week.”
When host George Stephanopoulos said even limited missions in Iraq might mean 40,000 to 75,000 troops, Clinton said, “I don’t think that’s accurate.”
Clinton repeatedly said she would meet with cabinet and military leaders to assess the situation in Iraq after being elected, and then decide what to do.
On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Clinton said she was committed to bringing the vast majority of U.S. troops home, but said it was difficult to respond to questions about future troop levels in Iraq because January 2009 is so far away.
Clinton said she “took responsibility” for her 2002 vote authorizing military action in Iraq on NBC’s “Meet the Press” as “a sincere vote based on my assessment at the time.” However, she blamed President Bush for Iraq, saying that if she had known then what Bush would do, “I would not have voted to give him the authority.”
Clinton defended her health care plan unveiled this week against charges that it represents socialized health care. The senator framed her proposals to require young people to purchase insurance and to have employers offering it as having everyone share in the responsibility of providing universal access to health care.
Clinton repeatedly said her campaign had taken appropriate steps by returning contributions provided by Norman Hsu, a major fundraiser under investigation for fraud. Clinton said public financing was the only comprehensive way to deal with problems in the campaign system, and noted that Hsu had given to other campaigns.
Pressed about whether she is too divisive a figure to with the presidency, Clinton argued she could be competitive across the country by noting that she carried several counties in her 2006 re-election bid won by Bush in 2004. “You know, I carried a lot of those counties that George Bush had carried just two years before . . . and as you know, there are a lot of red parts of New York.”
However, Clinton faced relatively weak opposition from the GOP in her re-election bid last year.
Clinton's opponents have argued too many voters would be turned off by Clinton for her to win, and former New York Major Rudy Giuliani’s (R) presidential campaign website on Sunday highlighted a story in The Washington Post about a new poll suggesting Giuliani would beat Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in 31 swing districts held by House Democrats considered vulnerable.
Clinton dodged a question from Stephanopoulos about whether mothers are less likely to take nations to war. Clinton said some women in positions of leadership of countries have done so, while some haven’t.
She told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that she wouldn’t have invited Iran’s president to speak if she were the president of Colombia University, but didn’t directly criticize Colombia's invitation. She said she supported the decision that Iran’s president should not be allowed to go to “ground zero” in New York given the cost to the city of New York for security.
Former President Bill Clinton will not have a policy roll in a Hillary Clinton administration, she said. At the same time, Clinton said her husband’s experience would be beneficial, and said every couple in the White House talks about the issues of the day. “It’s the only sounding board that a president has that is completely confidential, totally there 24/7,” she said.
Clinton also appeared on Fox's Sunday morning talk show.
Too much to bear.
She sounds like a mad woman!!
The Dean Scream - The Hillary laugh!!!
The only thing worse than Hillary Clinton is the ubiquitous Hillary Clinton!
I saw The Beast on Fox News Sunday and she's actually scary to look at and listen to. I thought for a second there she would crash through the t.v. and eat my soul.
LOL, I'm glad I missed it. Back atcha with the Go Packers! They have been awesome!
It is fair to say Hillary has total control of TV media!!!!!.....I can’t wait for TV Fairness Doctrine!!!!!!..........
God help us..
It was a pretty good ploy.
After the soul scredding, chalkboard scratching, geneva-code-violating, weapon-of-mass-destruction cackle, the hosts required resuscition before proceding with the next question.
Ripping that - just in time for Halloween too. Bet it’ll scare the Bejesus out of the neighborhood kids.
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