Hillary Smacks White House Over Criticism Of Pelosi's Syria Trip

[babylonsister]

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/apr/10/hillary_smacks_white_house_over_criticism_of_pelosis_syria_trip

Hillary Smacks White House Over Criticism Of Pelosi's Syria Trip
By Greg Sargent | bio

In a little-noticed interview with WSYR radio, Hillary has finally spoken out on the bogus Pelosi-to-Syria controversy, defending the Speaker from the phony charges being lodged against her by the GOP and the White House:

Interviewer: Nancy Pelosi has taken that trip to Syria which raised a lot of controversy. What was your take on that? Were you pleased that she did that or do you think that was a mistake?

Senator Clinton: No, I think that both her delegation, which was primarily Democrats, and a Republican delegation that was there approximately at the same time are doing the right thing. We have got to engage these countries. Obviously we have serious differences with a country like Syria, but we're sure not making progress towards our goals in the region by isolating and ignoring them. So I wish the President were engaged in the region, in the way that I would think a President should be. You know we were always engaged, whether it was a Republican or Democratic President. With the former Soviet Union, we had a Communist Empire with thousands of missiles pointed at us, with Presidents who said that they wanted to bury us, running proxy wars against us. We never stopped engaging and talking and we never gave up on our values. In fact I think we learned a lot about our adversaries which helped us eventually bring about their decline and defeat in the Cold War. Well I think that's the much smarter way. I don't agree with the President's view that we don't talk to bad people because clearly that's not a smart way to figure out how you can bring leverage on them and that's what I'm interested in.

[Demeter]

1. Inadvertant Sisterhood--It's Better than Nothing

[blm]

2. It's been going on for a WEEK - playing catch up now after the corpmedia had its run against Pelosi

with only a few Dems backing Pelosi up throughout the past week.

Well - thanks for saying SOMEthing at long last. How about a NATIONAL venue?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blm]

6. Nope. Would like to see bigname Dems do it firmly on NATIONAL TV. Why is that

so hard with the 24/7 news networks? ONE WEEK has gone by. If she comes out she has to come out STRONG and WIDE to make up for lost time.

I just don't think that preference for widespread backup for Pelosi from bigname Dems is out of bounds - why do you?

[Tellurian]

12. Seems to me you inflicted your advise on the Kerry campaign..

Look what happened to him! LOSER!

[blm]

18. Another fantasy constructed to suit your established storyline.

Move on from the silliness of your brilliant deductions.

[Tellurian]

25. It's your silliness and ill advice I'm addressing..

[loudsue]

13. Because the media is carrying LIEberman, and saying they're getting "Dem" points of view.

Hillary, and the rest of the Dems, don't own the media...the republicans do, and they get to decide who they're going to give face-time to. I agree w/ you -- the Dems DO need to get on the networks 24/7. And I wish it was possible. I really think they COULD get more face time if they pushed for it, or even INSISTED.

But my experience is that whenever Dems get on the news & start making sense, the show's editors let them get about 4 words of their own out, and then have some talking head "paraphrase" what else they said, and usually in a disparaging way.

I don't like Hillary for president, but I'm glad she's in the senate, and I'm glad she stood up for Nancy. But, like you say, the fact that it took her a week doesn't show LEADERSHIP, it shows me she probably had to test the polling waters first, and make sure other Dems came out behind Nancy first.

:kick:

[AtomicKitten]

14. it's never good enough for some

Other Dems are applauded, but Hillary never delivers soon enough or sincere enough or gosh darn it good enough for some here.

Feh.

[Tellurian]

27. Pray tell, where is Kerry's statement on Imus?

Notice the smokescreen over the last few days..The senator has been conspicuously absent with a statement castigating Imus.

[babylonsister]

5. She always seems to have her say after she sees which way the wind

is blowing. I will be really surprised if she ever comes out first with an original opinion.

[Evergreen Emerald]

16. I must have missed the other democratic responses

[ElizabethDC]

7. Well, Hillary was on vacation last week

and was out of the country, so she wasn't exactly giving interviews or anything.

[blm]

8. Well, that's a bit more understandable, but weren't they watching all the news or

speak at all to any of their many spokespeople who could have gotten the word out FOR them?

[ProudToBeLiberal]

19. that;s why it's a vacation...nt

[blm]

20. Not for ANY lawmaker when it is apparent they are needed.

No such thing.

[ElizabethDC]

21. Yeah, but I don't think Hillary was urgently needed on this one

it's not as if the issue was specific to her and she was the only one who could respond to it.

[blm]

24. pelosi is the highest ranking Dem leader. Hillary and all the candidates are high profile

and can command camera time more than most. And both Hillary and Bill can get any camera they want when they want it far more easily than any other Democrat.

Yes - all high profile Dems were needed. This is not a small story that will soon pass.

[Tellurian]

26. Pelosi is a big girl and can handle herself well..

it's already been established as common knowledge she hasn't broken any laws.
She has an interview with Campbell Brown coming up on nbc where she spells it out Bush is not a King and this is a democracy. She's doing her job very well without your direction.

Pelosi is in no trouble whatsoever, as you would have people stampeding to her defense.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cha]

9. Good, I'm so glad

hillary stood up for Nancy Pelosi..it's only right.

bush is fortunate that everyone doesn't have his philosophy of "not speaking to bad people"..the little shit would have to start babbling to himself for company.

[Forkboy]

10. Better late than never.

[AuntPatsy]

17. Perhaps she was now only given a voice, it happens frequently with

those that are dems.

[Dr Fate]

22. Really? Which Prime Time TV shows are refusing Hillary interviews?

Call me a wacky conspiracy theorist, but I have a hard time beleiving that she is being "banned" from any network shows. She is a guranteed ratings bonaza- folks who hate her would even watch.

If she or her PR people are not being allowed access to major media, then I need to hear her say so.

[beachmom]

11. Excellent and good to hear. Say what you will, the Clintons always

engaged in diplomacy during Bill's presidency. My issue is not with Hillary per se, but the whole team -- shouldn't Dems have a rapid response machine, where CERTAIN Democrats can be available for appearances to smack down right wing attacks AS THEY OCCUR. Kind of like having doctors on call. I don't care who it is, but darnit all -- this happened last week, and I just feel like there wasn't an adequate Democratic response.

[Dr Fate]

23. Kerry responded to it days ago. n/t

n/t

[Alamom]

15. If looks could kill.....

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/10/clinton-pelosi-syria/

Hillary Clinton Defends Pelosi Over Syria Trip: She Was ‘Doing The Right Thing’
4/10/07





In a radio interview with a Syracuse radio station, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) issued a staunch defense of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) trip to Syria last week. Noting that Republicans also visited Syria last week, Clinton said the congressional delegations did “the right thing”:

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(note:title stolen from the comment section regarding photo) :)