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Friday, May 25, 2007
Clinton explains 'no' vote to CNN

Clinton told CNN's Ted Barrett why she voted against the Iraq war funding bill.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After Congress passed its contentious Iraq supplemental bill, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton explained her decision to vote against it to CNN's Ted Barrett.

"At some point you just have to draw a line," Clinton said after leaving the Senate floor on Thursday night. She added, "But I think that it was important to make clear that I think we can do so much better in the war against terrorism and trying to force the Iraqis to come to a political resolution than what it is in this bill or what the president apparently is willing to do."

Democrats abandoned their fight to keep a provision calling for a timetable for troop withdrawal in the bill, a measure that caused President Bush to veto Congress' first war funding bill. Congress sent a bill to the White House with $120 billion in war funding.

Some Democrats have been criticized for backing down on their demands for the withdrawal of troops by March 2008. Clinton said the other anti-war Democrats that voted for the bill "certainly deserve to speak for themselves."

"I'm just speaking for myself," Clinton said. "When I look at where we are, you know I've been in favor of redeploying our troops out of Iraq for more than two years. I've been trying to get the administration to change course and engage in what I believe would be more effective actions in Iraq and they haven't done it. You know at some point you don't want to keep going on with it."

Clinton said she didn't think her vote would hurt her in the presidential election.

For the complete exchange, see the post below.


--CNN's Ted Barrett and Lauren Kornreich

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