Flashback: Hillary Said She'd Take Nukes Off The Table Last Year

[jefferson_dem]

Flashback: Hillary Said She'd Take Nukes Off The Table Last Year
By Greg Sargent | bio

Hillary recently chided Obama for ruling out the use of nukes against terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but here's what she had to say about nukes in an interview with Bloomberg News last year, according to a story just moved by the Associated Press:

"I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," she said in April 2006...

"I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," Clinton said. "This administration has been very willing to talk about using nuclear weapons in a way we haven't seen since the dawn of a nuclear age. I think that's a terrible mistake."

Hillary recently chided Obama as follows: "I don't believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons."

Nonetheless, Hillary spokesman Phil Singer is claiming no contradiction. "She was asked to respond to specific reports that the Bush-Cheney administration was actively considering nuclear strikes on Iran even as it refused to engage diplomatically," he said. "She wasn't talking about a broad hypothetical nor was she speaking as a presidential candidate. Given the saber-rattling that was coming from the Bush White House at the time, it was totally appropriate and necessary to respond to that report and call it the wrong policy."

Still, it does appear that she made a "blanket statement" about nukes at that time, even if it was in a different context. As soon as I have the full transcript of her interview, I'll share it with you.

A footnote: The Washington Times pointed out this same 2006 quote from Hillary back on August 3.

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/aug/09/flashback_hillary_said_shed_take_nukes_off_the_table_last_year