Barack Obama: Clinton Wrong on Foreign Policy

Obama: Clinton Wrong on Foreign Policy
By PHILIP ELLIOTT

The Associated Press
Wednesday, October 10, 2007; 12:15 PM

CONCORD, N.H. -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's votes and statements on war and torture should give voters pause, Democratic rival Barack Obama said Wednesday.

Obama, who was in the Illinois state Senate at time of Congress' vote to authorize military action in Iraq, said the New York senator now is painting her support in a different light.

"What's clear when you look at her statements and her approach to the problem, she was too willing to give the president a blank check. There's been a little bit of revisionist history since that time, where she indicates she was only authorizing only inspectors or additional diplomacy," Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I think everybody in Washington and people in New Hampshire and round the country understood this was a vote for war. The question is: Does she apply different judgment today?"

Obama has been criticizing Clinton daily on the war and on a recent vote to label Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization--a stance he suggests could affect U.S. commitments in the region.

"I think it's important for voters in New Hampshire, as they look forward, to see who got the most important foreign policy discussion since the Cold War right and who got it wrong," Obama said in the interview. "Because we're going to have a series of those decisions in the future."

The Clinton campaign struck back. (Gee, who does this sound like?)

"It's unfortunate that Senator Obama is abandoning the politics of hope and embracing the same old attack politics as his support slips here in New Hampshire," said Clinton spokeswoman Kathleen Strand. "Attacks on other Democrats won't bring about the change we need, but electing Senator Clinton will."

Last week, Hillary voted for a non-binding resolution that designates the odious Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization in order to strengthen our diplomatic hand. On Monday, she joined Senator Jim Webb in co-sponsoring a bill that would prohibit the use of funds for military action in Iran without specific authorization by Congress.

I support Hillary in both these votes. She is committed to ending the unilateralism of the Bush-Cheney administration. She is a strong supporter of direct nuclear talks with Iran, because she believes that direct dialogue with our adversaries is a sign of strength and confidence, and a prerequisite to achieving America's goals and objectives.