Obama vs. Clinton on the Iraq occupation

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Here's one of the major reasons I'm supporting Obama over Clinton (from a Christopher Hayes essay in The Nation via Pandagon):
The war is the most obvious and powerful distinction between the two: Hillary Clinton voted for and supported the most disastrous American foreign policy decision since Vietnam, and Barack Obama (at a time when it was deeply courageous to do so) spoke out against it. In this campaign, their proposals are relatively similar, but in rhetoric and posture Clinton has played hawk to Obama's dove, attacking from the right on everything from the use of first-strike nuclear weapons to negotiating with Iran's president. Her hawkishness relative to Obama's is mirrored in her circle of advisers. As my colleague Ari Berman has reported in these pages, it's a circle dominated by people who believed and believe that waging pre-emptive war on Iraq was the right thing to do. Obama's circle is made up overwhelmingly of people who thought the Iraq War was a mistake.
Emphasis mine.

Comments

ST said…
That's a helpful distinction and definitely nudges me towards Obama.
6:50 AM, February 04, 2008
Anonymous said…
The difference between the two of them on Iraq is there but it is very small and relates primarily to the past, not the present.

The question is: do you think that Obama can win against McCain. I just think that Clinton is a stronger candidate against McCain.

I want the strongest Democratic candidate. The difference between McCain and Clinton or Obama are huge. I would be very, very disappointed if McCain becomes President. Clinton is more likely to beat McCain than Obama.
5:45 PM, February 04, 2008
Anonymous said…
Why is it so plain that Clinton is more likely to win against McCain? It seems to me that Republican voters are not especially enthusiastic this election, but I think a Clinton nomination would be very inspirational for conservative voters.

The Iraq war vote made me feel like a chump that she was the Senator from a safe liberal state like New York, and it makes me think she'll run pretty far to the right in the general election. For that reason and a few others, even though the differences between the two seem small, I support Obama in the primary.
6:48 PM, February 04, 2008
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