Clinton Vows to End Iraq War ‘Responsibly’
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. _ Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to North Carolina on Thursday, reaching out to more moderate Democratic voters with a display of military brass, mentions of her Methodism and promises to end the Iraq war “responsibly.”
Hoping to build on her victory this week in Pennsylvania, Clinton sought to connect with the traditional values of rural, working class people.
She was accompanied by eight retired generals _ including Hugh Shelton, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under the Clintons _ as she courted voters living near military bases in and in the mountains.
“I know I am starting off behind,” Clinton said, alluding to polls showing her rival, Sen. Barack Obama, with a double-digit lead in the state. “But I’m still going to work as hard as I can to reach as many voters as I can. I have been very specific in this campaign. The problems demand solutions, not speeches.”
She received the loudest applause when she chided Obama for turning down a debate proposed by the state Democratic Party that would have been held in Raleigh on Sunday.
“I have said I will debate anytime anywhere,” Clinton said before 1,500 people in a gym at Methodist College in Fayetteville. “I think you deserve your own debate. It’s been a long time since you have been part of a contested Democratic primary.”
(Actually, Clinton initially turned down a North Carolina debate that Obama had agreed to because it was on a Jewish holiday.)
Clinton’s first post-Pennsylvania stop in North Carolina underscored her strategy of courting more moderate, blue collar voters _ the same formula that allowed her to win in Pennsylvania and Ohio. On Thursday, she campaigned in Fayetteville, the home of the Army’s Fort Bragg, and in Asheville.
Friday, she will be in Jacksonville, near the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base. She met privately with members of the N.C. Troopers Association. And she announced the formation of a veterans “caravan” that will travel across the state on her behalf.
Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, has also concentrated his campaigning in small-town North Carolina.
She mentioned her own Methodist faith and twice referred to God in an anecdote about Shelton’s recovery from a serious injury several years ago.
She scored points with Valerie Quick, the 46-year-old owner of a small computer business in Fayetteville and the wife of a disabled veteran.
“The Clintons did a very good job of taking care of the working man,” Quick said.
As for Obama: “I don’t think he has enough experience. He doesn’t have enough years behind him.”
Clinton touted her experience as a senator for eight years and as first lady for another eight years.
“We need a commander in chief who is ready on day one to keep our country safe,” said Clinton, who spoke under a banner that read: “SOLUTIONS FOR A STRONG MILITARY.”
She said she understood the precarious nature of the war in Iraq, and how it would not be easy to bring American troops home “responsibly.” But she also said that after giving Iraqis their freedom it was time for them to make their own decisions.
Shelton, a North Carolina native, introduced Clinton, saying, “She is the only candidate with a responsible plan for bringing our troops home with honor.”
Clinton promised to end the so-called “stop-loss” policy of keeping troops in the military beyond their contractual time. She also wants to enact a new “GI bill of rights” to pay for veterans to go to college and to help with housing and starting a business,Eand she seeks to improve funding and services in the Veterans Administration, which she said has been neglected during the Bush administration.
Also on Thursday, the Obama campaign announced the creation of a North Carolina Veterans for Obama effort.
“As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Sen. Obama has one of the strongest track records of fighting for veterans and their families,” said Paul Bucha, a Medal of Honor winner, in a statement.
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(c) 2008, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.).
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