Hillary booed at Take Back America Update: Link to video added

posted at 10:35 am on June 20, 2007 by Bryan
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The nutroots must be appeased.

Ellen Malcolm introduced Hillary Clinton, talking about health care, and Clinton opened her speech with a promise to lift a ban on stem cell research…

Our Constitution is being shredded, Clinton said, citing spying, detentions, US attorney firings, silencing of scientists, retribution against whistleblowers, Katrina, and the occupation of Iraq [some people shouted angry comments at this point. Clinton, of course, voted for the war and many times to fund the occupation]… Clinton moved into talking about health care. She never got to any sort of solution to the long list of problems.

James Hansen is the most famous “silenced” scientist in American history. The Clintons fired all 93 US attorneys in March 1993. Hillarycare was a disaster. She didn’t even read the 2002 NIE. Etc etc.

Then she jumped to ending the occupation and bringing the troops home. She called is a sectarian civil war. Several people shouted things during this part of Clinton’s speech, like “Get us out!” Then she said “The American military has succeeded. It is the Iraqi government that has failed.” Loud booing.

Just like last year.

Bonus: After Bill Richardson’s Take Back America speech, TNR catches him flip-flopping and scrubbing his website of all the evidence.

Update: Bill Scher has video of Hillary Clinton’s speech embedded in this post. The booing is at 23:38. He explains the booing.

Why get booed for that?

Because a lot of people are sick and tired of what’s become a stand-by cop-out bipartisan talking point: that the Iraqis are solely to blame for the chaos and de-stablization.

As if the Iraqis invaded and occupied themselves.

The debacle cannot be turned around until blame is properly placed. Not on all the Iraqi people. Not on the propped-up Iraqi “government.” Not on America. Not on Americans. Not on the troops.

But on the individuals in Washington who planned the occupation, voted for the occupation, fund the occupation, and continue the occupation.

The Washington media are likely to miss the true nature of the boos, because this grassroots frustration at the constant blame-shifting has rarely been given the media megaphone. That it’s the Iraqis fault has become accepted fact.

I highly doubt Sen. Clinton thought repeating conventional wisdom would have resulted in such a visceral reaction. But that’s what happens when mainstream media only reflects Beltway groupthink and ignores what’s simmering on the ground across America.

What is the actual news?

That the progressive grassroots, being serious about foreign policy and national security, wanting a fundamental change in our foreign policy away from blundering occupation and towards steely multilateral diplomacy, viscerally reacted to a blatant mischaracterization of what’s happening abroad.

&c. I find it fascinating that in all that high-minded dissection, the Iranians and Syrians never make an appearance. Surely they’re to blame for at least some of the violence in Iraq, right Bill? Oh, he throws a one-liner at unnamed “foreign fighters who commit unspeakable violence,” but spends the bulk of his time blaming America and Americans first and praising the nutroots’ childish reaction today. Typical liberal.

(h/t Michelle)

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