Article

2003-12-01 Fifth Column

Hillary to Troops: Support for War Fading

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Posted by Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-12-01 2:35:30 PM|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Hey Hillary! I have a message for you: ..|..

Posted by Atrus 2003-12-1 2:53:45 PM|| 2003-12-1 2:53:45 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 She's writing off the entire military vote for a photo op. What she may not realize is that military people have relatives - and friends.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2003-12-1 2:54:04 PM|| 2003-12-1 2:54:04 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 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. "Itâs 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."

That's not how John Gault remembers it:

The President visited with the troops in Iraq for Thanksgiving. The troops loved it and it did the President good too. There was absolutely no advance notice except to a select handful of people in Iraq. The Thanksgiving visit by POTUS was the right thing to do.
Almost as surprising, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) visited Baghdad on Friday. In fact I ran into her here at the CPA. She seemed disappointed at the cool reception she got at the CPA mess hall for lunch. Most just stared silently. A few left. I imagine she was expecting a rush of well wishers: "Look. It's Hillary!" Sorry, Hillary but no, it ain't gonna happen here. Given Hillary's constant trashing of the Administration's policies and the work being done in Iraq, her advance people get a flunking grade on setting up a lunch to be with the "troops" and other Americans in the CPA mess hall. That was not the right thing for Hillary do to.
(Bet you don't see nearly as much press coverage of her lunch in Baghdad.)

Posted by Steve 2003-12-1 3:09:11 PM|| 2003-12-1 3:09:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 Clinton: "Everybody has to be honest."

What response can the soldiers make to this without coming up hard against Article 88 ("Contempt toward officials") issues? "Lady, you're full of crap!" would seem to be a bit of a problem when directed at a Senator...

What an awful creature...

Posted by snellenr 2003-12-1 3:11:05 PM|| 2003-12-1 3:11:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Hil says, "Everybody has to be honest".

A supremely ironic statement considering.

Of course it would be nice if she told the media to honestly report the cool reaction she got from the troops.

Posted by mhw 2003-12-1 3:24:32 PM|| 2003-12-1 3:24:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 I saw some footage of HILLARY "over there" and was struck at how perfect her hair was and no shots of that pear shaped ass. From the waist down I mean, as she is a pear shaped ass.

Posted by Lucky 2003-12-1 3:31:13 PM|| 2003-12-1 3:31:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 What's the difference between Hillary Clinton and Jar Jar Binks?

Jar Jar means well.

Posted by Atrus 2003-12-1 3:47:51 PM|| 2003-12-1 3:47:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 What I don't understand is why the hell she went. The Clintons are a lot of things but stupid they're not, nor are they poltically deaf. I don't get it. Put off message by the President's trip?

Posted by Shipman 2003-12-1 4:10:57 PM|| 2003-12-1 4:10:57 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 What I don't understand is why the hell she went.

Pure posturing. This way her people can slap pics of her in 'combat' (trying valiantly not to sneer at the troops) on her election website. Doesn't matter that she loathes the military and especially the troops, as long as she can get the photo op.

Posted by Anonymous 2003-12-1 4:41:12 PM|| 2003-12-1 4:41:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Hell-ary Clintonista went to Iraq for a phot-op.

I am trying hard to visualize Hell-ary as as my Commander and Chief.

It's just not working.

Posted by alaskasoldier 2003-12-1 4:56:54 PM|| 2003-12-1 4:56:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Being on the Senate Armed Services and not visiting the troops in the field might look bad for her. That's all it is... A photo op with the troops also helps her (she thinks) to win the veep spot in 2004 which is part of the latest Hillary scheme, folks (Veep in 2004, POTUS in 2008,2012)!

Posted by Hillarity 2003-12-1 5:03:50 PM|| 2003-12-1 5:03:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 (Veep in 2004, POTUS in 2008,2012)!

So it's wishful thinking that motivates her.

Posted by Atrus 2003-12-1 5:14:54 PM|| 2003-12-1 5:14:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Not to raise a dissenting voice, but...isn't what Hillery said true? It sounds to me that she wants, as do I, a larger military footprint in Iraq. (It seems that that fired Army Chief of Staff Shinseki Was correct in his mandpower assessment).

It also seems to me that a large part of this precieved problem with Hillery is Newsmax spin.

When Hillary says:

"We have to exert all of our efforts militarily, but the outcome is not assured."

I am not sure why anyone would object to the above statement. I do however agree that all of this is not a morale boost.

And yet, why shouldn't the troops be told the truth? I am curious if there isn't a kind of dumbing down in American Political Rhetoric seeping into the body politic.

Serious pro-war people, (myself included) are have serious problems with some of the post-war reconstruction and managment issues.

I see nothing wrong with Hillery saying what is obviously true.

Best Wishes,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-1 5:16:38 PM|| 2003-12-1 5:16:38 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 Hitlary is absolutely on target: Support for the War on Terror and the battlefieds in Iraq and Afghanistan is declining, rapidly. However, she forgot to mention the demographic she used to determine this, which was the nine dummy-dwarves running for the Democratic nomination. There, the support for the war has dropped from a minus-twelve percent back in January of the year to a whopping minus-seventy-four percent, as the United States continues to make progress. When asked why, spokesman Joe Moron, working for the Dean camp, said "We have to oppose the war. The war makes George Bush look good. We HAVE to force the US to turn the war effort over to the United Nations, so they can foul it up in their usual manner. Then we can blame Bush for getting us into the war, and not being able to win it. It's a win-win situation for us."

When asked if their attitude might prove costly to the United States in the long run, Moron replied, "Who cares, as long as it gets us back in the White House?"

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-12-1 5:49:47 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-12-1 5:49:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 You know, Old Patriot, I don't pay much attention to the Dummy 9, so it is difficult for me to assess their impact and influence on public opinion.

I certainly could be wrong in this, but I assume most people are like me, pretty well informed, we know that things are not going as well as we might like...and then there are things that make me absolutely crazy...meaning the proposed new Afghan Constitution that calls for an Islamic Republic in Afghanistan.

I know that it is subject to re-write...but as an former military man myself, I will find it very difficult to forgive Mr. Bush if this comes to pass. (and there seems to be some danger of this happening in Iraq also).

American bood and treasure spent for this outcome? No, I'm sorry, but I doubt if I could get past this...it is just too terrible to contemplate.

Best Wishes,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-1 6:53:31 PM|| 2003-12-1 6:53:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 I would like to add my voice to the reasonable and logical conversation one finds so eloquently expressed by fellow Rantburgers.

Mrs. Clinton,

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU

You give comfort and aid to the enemy when you stand on foreign soil and spew your selfishly calculating bile.

Fuck you very much.

Posted by Hyper 2003-12-1 7:15:35 PM|| 2003-12-1 7:15:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 Traveller, I think what OP and CyberSarge are trying to express to you and others what the grunts must have felt like on the receiving end of her speech. She either wasn't talking to the soldiers or her mindset makes her unable to address soldiers in a combat zone effectively. Speaking negatively about the "administration" to soldiers in nuanced political speak is akin to having a math teacher stand up at a pep rally and lecture on the values of Eclidean Geometry.

One of the reasons that the military folks like GW and his wife is that they are genuine people. It is not hard for me to imagine both of them at a ship's picnic serving hot dogs. Bill Clinton, Al Sharpton or Dean could pull it off as well. Hillary, Kerry or Al Gore would be hopelessly out of place in that scenario.

Shipman,
Hillary's trip turned into an event that gave many people the sensation of fingernails running down the blackboard. I think this comes mostly when it stands in contrast to Bush's trip. Her trip flopped because Bush also made a trip, but would it have if he had stayed home?

Posted by Super Hose 2003-12-1 7:54:36 PM|| 2003-12-1 7:54:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 Traveller, I think your missing something. The outcome is most surely assured. As a matter of fact the main mission was/is complete. The ouster of saddam. Nation building, is incomplete and what that looks like is unknown. Partitioned, civil war, what have you.

HILLARY is trying to divide the red vs blue. You've got a liberal bias working very diligently to make Bush look bad. If you think that winning the WoT means creating a whole new Iraq/Afg in our image think again. Libs will just go into the "sending or money overseas and not taking care of our own at home" routine. No, winning this war means going directly at countries that sponsor and harbor terroist. To the extent that we can and when we can. And it's not more grunts that's needed. It's more special forces types that can work with the popular people to rid the place of bad guys. Iraqis don't like bad guys either.

HILLARY would crassly have us send tons of troops there and have them become a liability for Bush. she'll just bitch and moan with no blood on her hans while she goes on preaching to the choir.Those troops are needed for the leap frog, whatever that may be. BUT IRAQ IS NOT THE END GAME in the WoT. It was a campaign.

Best Regards, ect, ect...

Posted by Lucky 2003-12-1 8:16:51 PM|| 2003-12-1 8:16:51 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 Her trip was an unqualified fustercluck. From the moment this administration took action in Afghanistan up to present, the Donks have been braying with indignation....and now Shrillary says we should apply all our military options. That's rich. The only option the Demoncrats have come up with is to turn everything over to the UN, tuck tale and run. Not one of the the Dwarves, including Ol' Pear Bottom has offered a single serious alternative course of action. Whoever came up with this idea did not think it through.

Posted by Rex Mundi 2003-12-1 8:22:59 PM|| 2003-12-1 8:22:59 PM|| Front Page Top

#20 Speaking of Democrat candidates. I was without a computer for the weekend at my parents house for Turkey Day, but they had the December issue of Atlantic Monthly which featured excerps from Tour of Duty John Kerry in Vietnam. It iced my opinion of the guy. The article is worth a read by any who care to vote in elections.

What made me think of it in this context is a description from Kerry's letters of a this type of visit to frontline troops by Adm Zumwalt and Gen Abrams. From Kerry's descrition, the meeting was less than motivating to the audience.

Posted by Super Hose 2003-12-1 9:13:11 PM|| 2003-12-1 9:13:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#21 Weeeeeeelllll...I kind of thought that any praise for Hillary would get some blood flowing here.

I must say that my Secretary and myself just laughed big time at Hyper's spirited riprost. All those "Fuck You,"s and the ending Fuck you Very Much...still has me laughing.

As to the Grunt's eye view...they grouse at anything and everything,(it is their Solemn Right as Soldiers...and truth be told, the picture of Bush hugging the black female soldier, no one else in that crowd looked particularily happy either).

A Soldiers stock in trade, after all, is death and potentially dying. It is their Raison d'Etre, and at times it is a distressing and depressing business.

In any case, because I don't want to comment on politics, all I was saying and am saying is that, from a Military standpoint, I tend to agree with what Hillary had to say.

But Goodness, she IS a polarizing figure isn't she...lol

Best Wishes,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-1 9:35:32 PM|| 2003-12-1 9:35:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#22 Trav. So just wtf is it that you agree with ala HILLARY. Jwtf! Spit it out and don't be shy.

Best Wishes Unto You, ect, ect...

Posted by Lucky 2003-12-2 1:06:47 AM|| 2003-12-2 1:06:47 AM|| Front Page Top

#23 Trav. So just wtf is it that you agree with ala HILLARY. Jwtf! Spit it out and don't be shy.

Best Wishes Unto You, ect, ect...

Posted by Lucky 2003-12-2 1:10:22 AM|| 2003-12-2 1:10:22 AM|| Front Page Top

09:19 raptor
08:05 raptor
07:41 raptor
07:39 raptor
02:01 Rex Mundi
01:10 Lucky
01:06 Lucky
00:00 snellenr
23:26 Anonymous
23:06 Laurence of the Rats
22:53 eLarson
22:45 Old Patriot
22:34 Damn_Proud_American
22:25 Traveller
22:11 Damn_Proud_American
21:38 Mark
21:35 Traveller
21:35 spyplanewhatspyplane?
21:19 Rafael
21:18 Bomb-a-rama
21:13 Super Hose
21:01 capt joe
20:50 Faisal
20:43 Anonymous