Hillary Clinton

On the Iraq War

Iraq Had WMDs

Voted for the 2002 authorization for the Iraq war. In her 2002 floor speech, she stated that “intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al-Qaeda members” (Oct. 10, 2002) [1] [2]

"It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well, effects American security." Floor of the Senate 2002. [[3]]

"This is a very difficult vote, this is probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Any vote that might lead to war should be hard, but I cast it with conviction." Floor of the Senate 2002. [[4]]

"No, I don't regret giving the president authority because at the time it was in the context of weapons of mass destruction, grave threats to the United States, and clearly, Saddam Hussein had been a real problem for the international community for more than a decade.... The consensus was the same, from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration. It was the same intelligence belief that our allies and friends around the world shared. (April, 2004) [[5]]

“We bombed them for days in 1998 because Saddam Hussein threw out inspectors.” Jan. 31, 2008. [[6]]

“There is a very easy way to prevent anyone from being put into harm’s way and that is for Saddam Hussein to disarm and I have absolutely no belief that he will...“The very difficult question for all of us is how does one bring about the disarmament of someone with such a proven track record of a commitment, if not an obsession, with weapons of mass destruction?” Speaking to CODEPINK in 2003. [[7]]

Key Votes

Authorization of the use of force in Iraq: Yes.

The Patriot Act in 2001: Yes.

The renewal of the Patriot Act in 2006: Yes

On Iran

In comments from 2007, Clinton promised to obliterate Iran if it attacked Israel. "If Iran were to launch a nuclear attack on Israel what would our response be? I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran. That's what we will do. There is no safe haven. Whatever stage of development they might be in their nuclear weapons program [the one the UN and all 16 US intelligence agencies say doesn't exist and is not planned] in the next 10 years during which they may foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them." [[8]]

"I so hope we are able to get a deal next week that puts the lid on Iran’s nuclear weapons program,” she said. “Even if we do get such a deal, we will still have major problems from Iran. They are the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism. They use proxies like Hezbollah to sow discord and create insurgencies to destabilize governments. They are taking more and more control of a number of nations in the region, and they pose an existential threat to Israel." [[9]]

Clinton's statements above are a lie concering the nature of the Iranian Nuclear program:

Fact: US and Israeli intelligence both say Iran’s nuclear program has no military component. No evidence whatever suggests Tehran wants one. Plenty indicates otherwise.[[10]]

On Education

“When I think about the really unfortunate argument that’s been going on around Common Core, it’s very painful, because the Common Core started off as a bi-partisan effort — it was actually nonpartisan. It wasn’t politicized, it was to try to come up with a core of learning that we might expect students to achieve across our country, no matter what kind of school district they were in, no matter how poor their family was, that there wouldn’t be two tiers of education,” Clinton said. [[11]]

Clinton then contrasts that view with the following quote saying teachers shouldn't be blamed as the problem, which many teachers feel they are under Common Core. "It is just dead wrong to make teachers the scapegoats for all of society’s problems. Where I come from, teachers are the solution. And I strongly believe that unions are part of the solution, too.” [[12]]

On Drones

Clinton has defended the Obama administration ratcheting up the use of drone strikes, calling such tactics an effective method of combating Al-Qaeda. "We will always maintain our right to use force against groups such as al Qaeda that have attacked us and still threaten us with imminent attack... In doing so, we will comply with the applicable law, including the laws of war, and go to extraordinary lengths to ensure precision and avoid the loss of innocent life. She added that “dozens of senior terrorists had been taken off the battlefield by drones.” [[13]]

However, some experts, including at the United Nations disagree with Clinton's assertion that the United States complies with "applicable law" calling drone strikes may be a violation of international law. [[14]]

History of flip-flopping

Providing Driver's Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants: During her 2008 Presidential campaign, Clinton came out against providing undocumented immigrants with driver's liceneses. "As president, I will not support driver’s licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration, including border security and fixing our broken system.”[[15]]

However, in the 2016 Presidential campaign, Clinton has flipped her views on the issue. Her campaign released a statement saying "Hillary supports state policies to provide drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. This is consistent with her support for the president's executive action." [[16]]

Same-Sex Marriage: Clinton has also changed her position on Same-Sex Marriage. As recently as 2014, she stated the issue should be left to the individual states themselves to decide. "Marriage had always been a matter left to the states. And in many of the conversations that I and my colleagues and supporters had, I fully endorse the efforts by activists who work state-by-state." [[17]]

However, as the Supreme Court considered whether some state's bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, Clinton voiced support for the court deciding the issue rather than states. A Clinton aide said "Hillary Clinton supports marriage equality and hopes the Supreme Court will come down on the side of same-sex couples being guaranteed that constitutional right." [[18]]

Clinton was initially opposed to same-sex marriage, stating in 2000 that "Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman." [[19]]

Crime: Clinton has switched her views on the issue of crime and incarceration as well. During Bill Clinton's presidency she supported his tough on crime policies and a 1994 law "that among other things, has increased untold numbers of prison sentences (by encouraging states to drastically reduce or eliminate parole and early release." [[20]] Said Hillary Clinton in 1994, "We need more and tougher prison sentences for repeat offenders," she said in 1994. "We need more prisons to keep violent offenders for as long as it takes to keep them off the streets."[[21]]

In her 2016 Presidential campaign, Clinton has taken a much different tone on crime and incarceration, saying "We have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance, and these recent tragedies should galvanize us to come together as a nation to find our balance again," and calling for an end to "the era of mass incarceration." [[22]]

Iraq War: See Iraq war section of page.

Ethanol: Clinton has changed her position on Ethanol at convenient political moments. The Daily Beast writes "[I]n 2002, Clinton opposed the mandated use of just two billion gallons of ethanol per year. But a mere five years later, after seeing that she had to go through Iowa — which produces more ethanol than any other state — to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, she was advocating the use of 18 times that quantity of biofuel. [[23]]

A 2002 letter written with fellow Democrats states about the ethanol mandate states the measure would add "an astonishing new anti-consumer government mandate — that every US refiner must use an ever-increasing volume of ethanol.” [[24]] The Daily Beast writes that in all during her time in the Senate, Clinton voted against ethanol 17 times. [[25]]

But in early 2007, seeking the Democratic nomination for President and a win in the Iowa caucus, Clinton changed her rhetoric on ethanol, a product important to many voters in Iowa. Clinton said the U.S needs to work on "limiting our dependence on foreign oil. And we have a perfect example right here in Iowa about how it can work with all of the ethanol that’s being produced here.”[[26]]

Trade:

Clinton has flip-flopped on the issue of free trade, specifically in regard to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, or TPP. in 2012, as Secretary of State, Clinton said "We need to keep upping our game both bilaterally and with partners across the region through agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. ... This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field. And when negotiated, this agreement will cover 40 percent of the world's total trade and build in strong protections for workers and the environment."[[27]]

However, in 2015, as opposition from the more liberal faction of the Democratic party grew and activists and labor advocated railed against the TPP, Clinton flipped her view on the free trade deal. When pressed for an answer about whether she would vote for the trade package giving President Obama fast track authority to negotiate the trade deal, widely seen as the path for the deal to be finalized, Clinton said "At this point, probably not."[[28]]

Clinton has also flip-flopped on the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, which was championed by Bill Clinton. In 1996 she said of the agreement "I think everybody is in favor of free and fair trade. I think NAFTA is proving its worth." [[29]] Clinton also wrote in a 2003 memoir of NAFTA "Creating a free trade zone in North America — the largest free trade zone in the world — would expand U.S. exports, create jobs and ensure that our economy was reaping the benefits, not the burdens, of globalization. Although unpopular with labor unions, expanding trade opportunities was an important administration goal." [[30]]

However, during a 2007 debate Clinton changed her tune, saying "NAFTA was a mistake to the extent that it did not deliver on what we had hoped it would, and that's why I call for a trade timeout."[[31]]

On Greece

In 2011, Clinton expressed her support for the right-wing austerity measures championed by the Greek government in power in 2011. "The United States strongly supports the Papandreou government's determination to make the necessary reforms to put Greece back on a sound financial footing and to make Greece more competitive economically...I am not here to in any way downplay the immediate challenges because they are real. But I am here to say that we believe strongly that this[the austerity plan] will give Greece a very strong economy going forward," Clinton said. [[32]] However, four years later, the Greek debt crisis is worse than ever, which many have blamed on the right wing austerity measures put forward by the 2011 government whose policies Clinton supported.

Other Quotes

Of the execution of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, Clinton cracked a joke, saying "We came, we saw, he died." [[33]]

Top Political Donors

Hillary Clinton is a candidate for the 2016 Democratic nomination for President. She is the former First Lady of the U.S., a U.S. Senator from New York and U.S. Secretary of State. Here is a list of her top donors over the course of her political career, going back to 1999.

1.Citigroup Inc—$782,327

2. Goldman Sachs—$711,490

3. DLA Piper—$628,030

4. JPMorgan Chase & Co—$620,919

5. EMILY's List—$605,174

6. Morgan Stanley—$543,065

7. Time Warner—$411,296

8. Skadden, Arps et al—$406,640

9. Lehman Brothers—$362,853

10. Cablevision Systems—$336,288

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Other Wikis

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton