A few days ago, I got an e-mail from Carthage, an Obama supporter who posts here and at The Field. She had found a video that I'd been desperately searching for: that moment in February, 2007 when Hillary Clinton not only refused to admit making a mistake on Iraq, but also told people they ought to consider supporting Obama or Edwards if such an admission was important to them.
I've taken that clip and integrated it into a new video, Hillary Clinton: War, Lies, and Misjudgment. Here it is:
As always, let me know what you think, and if you like it, please digg it and share it with friends!
Here's a transcript of Clinton's quote:
If the most important thing to any of you is choosing someone who did not cast that vote or has said his vote was a mistake, then there are others to choose from.
I believe that was the moment that Hillary Clinton lost the campaign. As kos wrote at the time:
The closer we get to the primaries, the more Hillary will realize that she can't escape her Iraq dilemma. I don't want her to apologize. I want her to say, "I made a mistake." Edwards did it. Just about every other Democrat who idiotically trusted this president and supported the war has done it. Had Hillary done this last year, the issue would be moot.
Part of my goal in making this video is to try to express why Hillary Clinton is losing (or has lost, take your pick) this campaign, and also to express why Barack Obama is winning. It ends with these words from Obama:
It's important for us to stand our ground and take our licks, rather than what sometimes is our habit, which is to cave and whine about it afterwards, which makes us not only look weak, but petty.
Standing your ground isn't just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do. Obama is showing that again today. He's not perfect -- he's still a politician, after all. But he is showing Democrats how to be better, not just as politicians, but as leaders.
Updated Saturday morning: I added in quotes and other material from a post I did about this video on Daily Kos. (I originally posted the video yesterday morning, without much accompanying text.) I also updated the first version of the video a tiny bit.
© Jed Lewison