Clinton says 'No political solution in Iraq.' ?????

[RichardRay]

Here's a link to another post. It quotes a transcript of Clinton's speech from earlier today.

Original Post

I read it, several times, and each time this statement jumped out at me:

“We can have hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground for a hundred years, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is no political solution to the situation in Iraq,” said Clinton.

(emphasis mine)

I tried to see some context that made it not say what it seems to say, but I can't find one. If it says what I think it's saying then Clinton is saying there is no political solution in Iraq; from that I guess I go to thinking that she either feels there is NO solution in Iraq, or that there is a military one, or that there is some other kind of an unspecified solution.

I replied in that post and haven't gotten a response, and this is so puzzling that I thought I'd try again.

Can someone parse this for me?

[leftofcool]

1. it means the Iraqi Government is sttting on their lazy asses

[Texas Hill Country]

12. bingo

[cali]

17. frankly, I think the blame the Iraqis for the mess that Iraq is in

is completely misplaced. We don't own it, but we sure as fuck broke it to smitereens.

[surfermaw]

19. Hillary to bring troops home withing a year or as fast as she can!

[Drachasor]

25. Isn't that a political problem?

[RunningFromCongress]

2. she mis-spoke?

[barack the house]

3. Nothing puzzling at all. Samantha Power says Barack's solution..

www.members.aol.com/cooolandrew2/outstanding.mp3

The Clintons aint wat they use to be. Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing.

[tekisui]

4. It's truth.

There is no military solution, we know that. And, there is no political solution. Nothing that a politician can do in Washington to "solve" the mess that is Iraq.

It is an Occupation that ends when we leave. No winning or losing, only ending it.

[RichardRay]

7. Agreed no military solution...

and there's no US political solution. But, the problem WILL be solved, in the long run, by the Iraqis. I have to believe the solution will be an Iraqi-led political solution of some kind. Probably NOT one led by the current regime in Baghdad, and perhaps not even one that leaves the 'country' of Iraq on the map, but it will be a political solution to a problem caused by post WW-II politics. We need to find a way out of the mess while doing as little further damage as we can.

[peace13]

5. It means that she doesn't intend to have a political solution.

She's a gun tote-in granny and loves her some war! Sorry the preacher stuff has sent me over the edge. I am certain that Hill is a fine Dem candidate but she does think that war is a solution. She spoke of Iran way back as well. No hope for anything but war there I am afraid.

[jillan]

6. What don't you understand??

Without a political solution in Iraq, nothing is going to change.

If the Sunnis, Shia and Kurds don't learn to live together, there is nothing we can do.

She is 100% correct.

[RichardRay]

8. That's not what I read in the quote...

“We can have hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground for a hundred years, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is no political solution to the situation in Iraq,” said Clinton.

She seems to be saying that there is 'no political solution' in Iraq. That's what puzzles me. If there is no political solution, then what kind of a solution IS it?

[barack the house]

11. Hillary is bought and paid that's the deal.

[barack the house]

9. They maylisten to a man with the middle anme Hussain though.

[bunnies]

16. Yes. After all, we've given them the gift of freedom.

disguised as the curse of war. :eyes:

[Window]

10. Wes Clark who's supporting/advising her said this on Morning Joe.

[RichardRay]

13. CLARK said that?

He's said the opposite for the last five years. Has he changed his position?

[jillan]

14. Why are you cherry-picking quotes from that article?

This is what comes immediately after she says that:

“Sen. McCain and President Bush claim withdrawal is defeat. Let’s be clear, withdrawal is not defeat. Defeat is keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years.”

Without a political solution, there is nothing - so we might as well withdraw.

[RichardRay]

21. I don't believe I'm cherry picking anything

I provided a full quote and the original source of the quote. I added emphasis to the words in the quote that concerned me and ventured my own interpretation of the content, clearly labeled as such. I asked for clarification. In what I've read about the Iraq debate the usual dichotomy is 'political solution' vs 'military solution' I believe there is no other solution except a political one in Iraq - one that the Iraqis come up with on their own.

She seems to have said that there is 'no political solution' in Iraq, so what's her alternative?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

15. Oh God The Context Is So Obvious. Do You Really Not Know Or Are You Just Posting Bullshit For Sake

of inciting people?

[Whisp]

18. it's for an ass cover, for IF she wins the nom

she'll do the Pelosi 'waaaah, I didn't think this would be so haaaard, those repugs won't let us DO anything, wahhhh!"

or Clinton will say - I told you so, it won't be easy. There is NO SOLUTION, military or political, so let's just stay there indefinitely like my good friend McCain says. too bad, so sad. let the buyer beware. ahahahahahahah! suckers!

[bobthedrummer]

20. She's repeating her neocon programming from Will Marshall

co-founder of the Democratic Leadership Council/DLC, President of the DLC's leading think tank the Progressive Policy Institute/PPI, PNAC letter signatory...

Will Marshall Right Web profile
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1295.html

PPI was funded 2000-2002 by the neocon Milwaukee-based powerhouse The Bradley Foundation

Grants to support PPI (Media Transparency)
http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=2355

There are many more answers to be found in this active GD thread

"Inconvenient truths about the New Democrats, the Third Way, Democratic Leadership Council, etc."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2973191

If you (or anyone else) want to focus on Hillary&Iraq, review this active WillyT GD-P thread

"As War Neared in 2003--Hillary Was Silent"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x5108062

[nonconformist]

22. She's saying that the only "solution" to this mess is to LEAVE

We can't solve it militarily, and we can't solve it politically on the ground. It's a lost cause, basically.

I for one agree with that.

[RichardRay]

23. I guess I see that as a political solution...

Leaving, that is. I agree that we cannot force an Iraqi solution. Every time we try, we just dig ourselves (and the Iraqis) in deeper. BUT, figuring out how to get troops out of Iraq, what to do with the pieces we leave behind (what do we do with all the hardware we've flooded into the country in the last five years?) and getting it proposed, supported and implemented in this country IS a political problem and will require a political solution.

Is that what she's rejecting? Or, do I have a wider interpretation of the term 'political solution' than is appropriate in this context?

[nonconformist]

28. She's stated many times that she'd start withdrawing the troops soon after taking office

And even alluded to that in the next sentence after the one you quoted, so I think it's safe to assume that she means there is no political solution that will "win" the war. All there is left to do is withdraw the troops, because this can't be solved politically or militarily.

[Drachasor]

24. Deleted

[rodeodance]

26. Most smart people are saying that. WHAT IS YOUR POINT?

[RichardRay]

27. OK - The excercise in concluded.

She appears not to have said that.

I went back to the original post and checked to be certain (for the fourth time) I'd not read it incorrectly. Then I went to alternate transcript sources it appears that the transcript posted was in error. Her statement was:

“We can have hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground for a hundred years, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is no military solution to the situation in Iraq,” said Clinton.

Sturm und Drang - 'surfermaw' gets the prize for coming the closest to explaining it to me. Thanks, it was your post that set me on the track to finding out what was going on.

[Mike03]

29. Either she's being honest, accidentally being honest, or misspoke.

Where is she wrong?

There is nothing we can do militarily or politically other than get the hell out of Iraq.

[bobthedrummer]

30. Hillary is BFEE, RichardRay-she speaks the same kind of code as Donald Rumsfeld. n/t

[Neshanic]

31. Be prepared for the big back away from Obama also, so just remember

when he starts backpeddling about bring troops home per earlier statements.