Richard G. Emmons

To the editor:

Hillary or Obama?

On the record, Hillary Clinton is a liar. Recently, in Iowa, she insisted that she was “misled by President Bush on the Iraq war resolution, that he said at the time he was going to the U.N. to put inspectors back into Iraq, to figure out whether they still had any WMD,” adding that “he took the authority that others and I gave him and he misused it.” Hillary maintains that the Dems “felt, frankly, let down about the invasion,” painting herself as one of many dupes of the president.

Here are the facts: On October 10, 2002, by a vote of 77 to 23, with support from Clinton, a resolution was passed giving President Bush the authority to invade Iraq. Its title: “Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq” clearly established its purpose. An amendment requiring Security Council approval for an invasion was defeated, again with Hillary’s vote. It was five months later that the invasion began, with no protest or voiced concerns coming from Madam Hillary in the interim. She is clearly not the surprise victim of presidential deceit. The reason she will not refute her vote is simple: it would reveal that her judgment is as inferior as her honesty.

Hillary has already met with, and sold out to the Israelis, who have promoted the war in Iraq, and who are now pushing for an attack on Iran. It’s interesting that she, and other candidates, find it necessary to prostrate themselves before Israel and its AIPAC lobbyists, pledging support in exchange for their political validation and campaign contributions. America may be ready for a woman president, but I urge restraint in warming up to the schmooze and sleight of hand of Madam Hillary!

Obama comes to the table with clean hands. He was not in office and therefore did not vote to place our military personnel in harms way. His pledges to Israel and its American supporters speak to the need for diplomacy before confrontation. This plays well with most American Jews, although there remains a contingency of hardliners, here and in Israel, who will support only a confrontational candidate such as Hillary. If America is ready for an African American president, Obama may be the right man. Time will tell.

With the strong likelihood that Bush will attack Iran before he leaves office, his successor, be it Hillary, Obama, another Democrat, or a Republican, will be faced with the grim specter of total war in the Middle East or, perhaps, simply trying to salvage the continental remains of a global nuclear war.

Richard G. Emmons

Gilford