Obama, Clinton stress differences on Iraq, issues

LOS ANGELES — Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama drew sharp distinctions Thursday on Iraq, health care and immigration, facing off in their only one-on-one debate before a pivotal set of contests next week.

The last two Democrats standing agreed on two things: Either of them represents a stark change from President Bush, and one will be the nation’s first woman or African-American president. But Clinton drew laughs with her pitch to succeed Bush.

ANALYSIS: No staying above the fray in California

FACT CHECK: Context of key claims

USA TODAY ON POLITICS: Updates, excerpts from 1 on 1 debate

 

“It did take a Clinton to clean (up) after the first Bush, and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush,” she said.

The rivals are trying to define each other for voters in 22 states from California to New York who take part in primaries and caucuses on Tuesday. Their race is close: Each has two major-state victories apiece, while Clinton also won “beauty contests” in Michigan and Florida that awarded no delegates.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: President Bush | Florida | Iraq | Democrats | Arizona | Democratic | Michigan | Republican | South Carolina | Barack Obama | Bill Clinton | African-American | Los Angeles Times | John McCain | Academy Awards | Steven Spielberg | Kodak Theatre | Day One | Diane Keaton | David Geffen | Politico | Rob Reiner | New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer

The Iraq war was a flash point, as it has been since the campaign began in earnest last year. Obama reinforced a point he has made often: that he was against the war “from the beginning” and Clinton supported the invasion of Iraq with her 2002 vote to give Bush the authority to use military force.

Obama said he would make a stronger Democratic nominee in November because he offers “a clear contrast as somebody who never supported this war. The question is: Can we make an argument that this was a conceptually flawed mission from the start?”

Clinton said she did not believe a Republican nominee could use the Iraq war against either Democratic candidate. “I think the Democrats have a much better grasp of the reality of the situation,” she said.

She stressed that her Iraq vote in 2002 was a “sincere vote based on my assessment at the time” and “was not authority for a pre-emptive war.”

Both Democrats took shots at GOP front-runner John McCain, pointing out his support of Bush’s plan to temporarily increase U.S. troops in Iraq. Clinton knocked the Arizona senator for calling her plan to withdraw troops “surrender.” Obama criticized him for wanting to make permanent tax cuts Bush supported in 2001 and 2003, after initially voting against them.

In one of their most pointed exchanges, Obama charged that Clinton was being “political” as she provided “a number of different answers” over time on whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to have driver’s licenses.

Clinton was criticized by rivals in both parties in November for being non-committal on such a plan by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. She announced her opposition only after Spitzer withdrew the proposal.

On Thursday, Clinton said she believed allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses is “inappropriate” and puts people at risk. The New York senator said that at one time Obama had refused to take a position on the issue.

As she has throughout the campaign, Clinton challenged Obama as being too inexperienced to be president “from Day One,” using a phrase that has been one of her signatures. Obama shot back later, saying “it’s important to be right on Day One.”

Thursday’s event was a departure from the Democratic debate in South Carolina last week, which was angrier and, at times, personal. Some of that strain was sparked by former president Bill Clinton’s aggressive support of his wife on the campaign trail, including some sharp blows at Obama.

Asked whether she could control her husband if she were elected, Clinton said she and Obama both “have very passionate spouses … who promote and defend us at every turn.” Clinton said her husband would not run her campaign or her presidency. “It’s my name that is on the ballot, and it will be my responsibility as president.”

The debate, held at the Kodak Theatre where the Academy Awards are handed out, attracted a host of celebrities. Among the Clinton supporters: directors Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner and actress Diane Keaton. Actress Alfre Woodard and entertainment mogul David Geffen were among the Obama backers.

The debate was sponsored by CNN, Politico and the Los Angeles Times.

Estimating the number of suicides among Vietnam veterans

DA Pollock, P Rhodes, CA Boyle, P Decoufle and DL McGee
Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.

Unconfirmed reports that 50,000 or more Vietnam veterans have committed suicide give the impression that these veterans are at exceedingly high risk of suicide compared with other veterans and nonveterans of the same age. On the basis of projections from two population-based mortality studies, the authors estimate that fewer than 9,000 suicides occurred among all Vietnam veterans from the time of discharge through the early 1980s. The sixfold or greater relative risk of suicide implied by the unsubstantiated suicide death tolls is also demonstrated to be incompatible with the findings of epidemiologic studies of mortality risk among Vietnam veterans.

 My opinion:

this articul is very full of datas that make me coming back in the mouvie catcher with robert deniro.
It s a similar problem. Its very strange and i wonder when i read about an high percentage of suicide of soldiers when they came back home instead of the number suicide in that countries during da war.
how could it be possible?
what about the phsichic assistance during the war done by dedicated operator?
what about all the fear that this guys bring with them when they keep a machinegun? they risk to accumulate everything in their mind, and coming back home near their dear, find only sadness, depression …its orrible

ff

Private “Security” Companies, a personal opinion

On Sunday, employees of an American private security company were involved in a shoot out in central Baghdad that left at least 11 civilians dead, including a mother and her child. A spokeswoman for the firm, Blackwater USA, told reporters that the “independent contractors acted lawfully and appropriately in response to a hostile attack.” But was it really an hostile attack?

American Embassy officials had said Monday that the Blackwater guards had been responding to a car bomb, but Mr. Dabbagh said the bomb was so far away that it could not possibly have been a reason for the convoy to begin shooting.

Also here we can discuss about methods used by Private Security Companies for executing their services in Iraq. Sincerely i never know about this special Corps used in that country thinking soldiers was enough.

If Baghdad should decide to catch PSC from that country also the withdrawal of 30.000 troops before July2008 will be compromised entro il luglio 2008 because lots of security and convoy services will have being done by US Army Corps.

f. furfaro

Did Cia kidnap German Vacationer?

In December 2003, German citizen Khaled el-Masri boarded a bus in Germany for a holiday in Skopje, Macedonia.

Instead of a restful vacation, the Muslim man of Lebanese heritage says he ended up in a Central Intelligence Agency isolation cell in Afghanistan as a suspected terrorist. He was released after five months of interrogation with no explanation justifying the action or apology if it was a mistake.

Now, nearly four years later, his lawyers are asking the US Supreme Court to examine whether the Bush administration has the power to prevent Mr. Masri from seeking recourse in American courts.

Masri’s lawyers claim that the CIA kidnapped and tortured an innocent man.

This isn’t the first time about reporting these cases. I hope it won’t be a power abuse by autorithies. They spoke about State-secrets privilege.

The Bush administration is using this doctrine to block a string of legal challenges to other secret terror-war tactics,  including warrantless electronic surveillance in the US. And this doctrine changed in a deep reform the 8 october 2001,  monitored by th OHS, Office of Homeland Security.

I remember you a sentence written by two famous journalist, John Stanton and Wayne Madsen saying: “historicals will remember that since nov/2001 to feb/2002, democracy, that Democrazy mentioned in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of United States, is died.”

See also the full aritcle : http://cryptome.org/amer-demo-rip.htm

Waiting more news

ff