Following is a sample Q & A, plus the "seven reasons" that are posted on the Listen Hillary site.
Question: Why are you "bird-dogging" Hillary Clinton?
Answer: We are targeting Hillary Clinton because of her stance on the Iraq War. She is the current frontrunner among the Democratic presidential hopefuls and is also one of the most powerful people in
the Democratic Party. We feel that by highlighting her position on the war, educating people about it,
and holding her accountable for her voting record and her statements on the Iraq War, we have the best
chance of having an impact on the policies that will bring the war to a speedier close.
Question: Why Hillary? Why not Barack Obama?
Answer: CODEPINK's DON'T BUY BUSH'S WAR campaign does go after other Democratic politicians for
their stance on the war—including Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama. But Hillary has singularly the worst
record on Iraq of any of the Presidential candidates. In March she gave an interview to the New York
Times in which she said that she predicted a "remaining military as well as political mission" in Iraq; she
stated that if elected president, she would keep a reduced military force there to fight Al Qaeda, deter
Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds and support the Iraqi military. The implication is that there will be
permanent bases and American boots on the ground in Iraq far beyond the 2008 elections if Hillary
becomes president.
Question: What do you want from Hillary?
Answer: We want Hillary to propose or to sign on as a co-sponsor to legislation that has a timeline for
withdrawal from Iraq and that says there will be no permanent bases in that country, as well as making a
commitment to Iraq sovereignty and control over their oil resources.
Question: Are you doing this because she's a woman? Are you holding her to a higher standard because
she's a woman? As women, are you going after her because she's a woman?
Answer: No. No. No. Our campaign has nothing to do with the fact that she is a woman. It is about her
enormous power and influence within the Democratic Party. It is about her hawk-like record. We don't
want to end up with another Lyndon Johnson—of whatever gender. Pressuring
Hillary to change her stance on the war—and not just her RHETORIC ON THE WAR, but her ACTIONS—is
our best hope to have an influence on the policies that will decide how and when that war is ended.
Seven Reasons: WHY WE ARE BIRD-DOGGING HILLARY
1. Hillary supported Bush's rush to war on Iraq in the name of
protecting her constituents in New York. But she has made her
constituents LESS safe, not MORE.
2. Hillary, unlike John Edwards and other Democratic Senators, has
never admitted that her 2002 vote to give Bush war authorization was a
mistake. 23 Senators had the foresight and courage to vote against the
measure at the time.
3. Hillary's proposed legislation on the Iraq War sets no timeline for
withdrawal. She wants to punish the members of the U.S.-installed
Iraqi government by cutting off funds for their security and
protection unless they meet "benchmarks" that are clearly unattainable
in the current chaos.
4. Hillary has said if Bush doesn't end the war before his term comes
to a close that when she becomes president in 2009 she will. Since she
has taken no meaningful action as a Senator to bring this war to an
end, why should we believe she would as President?
5. Hillary voted NO in September 2006 on legislation proposed by
Senator Feinstein that would have banned the sale of cluster munitions
for use in heavily populated civilian areas. 98% of the casualties
from cluster munitions are civilians.
6. Hillary has said with regard to Iran, "no option can be taken off
the table." After a speech that she gave at Princeton last year, the
NY Daily News characterized her position on Iran as to the right of
that of the Bush Administration. (Celeste Katz, HIL TO UN: SLAP IRAN
ON NUKES, NY Daily News, Jan. 19,2006).
7. Aside from her hawkish stances with regard to Iraq and Iran,
Hillary isn't so great on many domestic issues. She is against
marriage equality for gay people. She is PRO-NAFTA, PRO-death penalty,
PRO-Patriot Act. Does that make her PRO-gressive? We don't think so.