Clinton gets snippy with Iowan over Iran

Posted: Sunday, October 07, 2007 2:43 PM by Chuck Todd
Filed Under: Democrats, 2008, Clinton

From NBC/NJ's Athena Jones
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa -- At a campaign stop here, Hillary Clinton sparred verbally for several minutes with a man who pressed her on her recent vote to call Iran's army a terrorist organization.

Randall Rolph, from nearby Nashua, asked why he should support Clinton's candidacy when she did not appear to have learned any lessons from having voted to authorize force in Iraq.

Clinton thanked him for the question and explained her Iran vote would lay the groundwork for using diplomacy and sanctions to pressure that government.

Clinton accused the man of being a plant who had been sent to ask the question, to which he took exception, saying the question was a result of his own research.

"I apologize," Clinton said, explaining that she had been asked the very same question in three other places.

The crowd applauded when the senator ended the back and forth by saying the two had a disagreement and offering to put Rolph in touch with her staff, who could provide him with the text of the legislation, which she suggested he had misunderstood.

After taking several more questions, Clinton ended by saying she valued these kinds of conversations and urging Iowans to support her in the caucuses.

"I'm taking nothing for granted," she said. "I hope I'll be able to earn your support."

Rolph said after the event that he was a registered Democrat who had come with an open mind but that he would not be supporting Clinton after the way she responded.

"Who in this room believes we aren't going to attack Iran before Bush leaves office?" Rolph said.

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Comments

Do anyone get the encounter on video, it will be a great post on youtube.

Stan, Portland, Oregon (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 3:38 PM)

Good for you Rolph! More nonanswer answers coming from uknowwho. We Dems need to stop defending the undefensible. Bill Maher asked why anyone cud be duped by our fearless leader. Ask our founding fathers what the proper course wud be in starting wars. Who did the framers of the constitution specifically give that precise power to(you either declare or you dont.period). If elected(big, huge if), uknowwho will owe absolutely nothing to some of these Dems that are defending uknowwho right now. The final nail in the coffin of this party(remember the Whig Party, anyone?).

Marbw (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 3:46 PM)

Hopefully someone will ask her at EVERY appearence.

Dont understand the polls. Most Dems arent buying what she is selling.

Bob LA, CA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 3:46 PM)

Oh, now I get it...Anyone who dares question the Queen on her policy proposals and voting record is a plant not a discerning voter.

Dawn (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:10 PM)

This is a new low for MSNBC. Other candidates, "spar", but Clinton gets, "snippy"?

Cold you see that word attached to a headline about a MALE candidate? The story isn't only not newsworthy, but is dangerously sexist in tone, despite the female name in the byline.

Van

vanreuter, NY NY (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:11 PM)

It's great to see Hillary is finally actually taking a few questions from the audience. And it is good she apologized to the guy for accusing him of being a plant. That was not only rude, the reason she suspected it was because she's "been asked the very same question in three other places." Hasn't it occurred to her that 1. People in Iowa are well educated 2. Those interested enough in politics to take time to see Presidential candidates are politically active and well informed in politics and current events. 3. Maybe the reason she's been asked about her Iran vote at each of her last stop, is because Iowans can't understand how she would vote for the measure, given the lesson she should have learned in October of 02!4. The reason she probably jumped to the conclusion that the man was a plant, is because that is a tactic her campaign uses. What arrogance!

Mark, Des Moines (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:12 PM)

He's a plant.

jJust saying (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:16 PM)

Hillary is paranoid. Sound familiar? "Right-wing conspiracy." Everybody is out to get poor Hillary. Nixon was paranoid too---Look where it got him---breakins, coverups and resignation in lieu of impeachment. Just what we need.

Bunny, Winston-Salem, NC (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:24 PM)

The sad part is that he really didn't misunderstand the legisalation. Although the Dems were able to defang the amendment, it still went as far as it could without blatantly saying that the Senate felt we should go to war with Iran, including naming the Iranian military a terrorist organization.

John Doe, Seattle, Wash. (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:32 PM)

How much did they pay you George? Here come the Collectivists! You are not American.

John Galt (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:32 PM)

Clinton gets snippy. Giuliani gets aggressive. Thompson pushes back. Mitt flashes anger. Obama fights back.

But the Girl...she gets snippy. Did she Cackle or titter while she was snippy.

Jim Sheridan, NYC (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:34 PM)

Hooray for Mr. Randolf. The senator from NY must be held accountable for her failure to learn about how to deal with this president - over the past five years (although I don't take any pleasure in making Mrs. Clinton uncomfortable). She is right to take nothing for granted. I certainly don't, nor do I assume the inevitable.
Obama '08

Mitchell Feldman, Vestal, NY (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:35 PM)

Everyone knows why she really voted to call Iran's Army a Terrorist organization, she is no different than Bush, she wants to continue feeding the machine, and keep us at war, what a liar Hillary is. She does not have my vote for sure. Hillary is SCAREY!!!!!

Theresa (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:46 PM)

I hope all Iowans remember the candidate with the
largest "war chest", enters the White House with a lot of bagage and owing a lot of "favors" We don't need more the same...the problem with the current
White House is it's committment to special interest
groups, and Hillary is all ready deeply entrenched in that same bog. We down here in Florida are backing John Edwards...the only one to refuse to take money from lobbyists. Let's hope all the voters are smart enough to know that the one with the most money is not necessarily the best candidate! The people Edwards represents do not have Hollywood, Corporate America, or Lobbyists money...the poor and middle class can not donate $100,000,000.00!

Sandra Griffin, Tampa, Florida (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:51 PM)

Those who can not remember history are doomed to repeat it.

Karen, Los Angeles, California (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:53 PM)

SAME ALL SAME CLINTON! She never seem to learn from her mistake and , guess what, she will take us to war if elected as long as it keeps her on POWER. Well... if you fool me once, shame on you, if you fool me twice shame on ME. NO HILLARY!

Alex, IOWA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 4:55 PM)

"Gets Snippy"?? Typical so-called "reporting." Would you have used such a headline about one of the male candidates?

Jean Howson, Atlantic Highlands, NJ (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 5:24 PM)

Well now I think the gentleman had issues with arguing with a women and not getting the last word. I believe the applause from the audience only served to fuel his displeasure. In all likely hood he probably would not vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a women anyways.

Alyce Vanderwey Parma Idaho (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 5:35 PM)

Looks like this guy is a, "pro", and had an agenda. The only question is whether the agenda was HIS or not.
When you Google Rolpf, he is more than a simple citizen, and has had his name in the papers, written numerous letters to the editor of the local papers and something called the BLOG for Iowa.

There is even a PICTURE of him in this Oct. 5th NYT article, in addition to a quote.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/us/politics/06iowa.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

I bet that this is going to wind up being laid at the doorstep of one of the competing campaigns. Rolph is an activist, it remains to be seen who he was shilling for here.

More from Mr. Rolph;

http://state29.blogspot.com/2005/08/ethanol-is-harmful-to-ozone.html

We couldn't find any instance of a news organization reporting this. The only thing we could find was "Randall Rolph's post to the DEANIAC Blog For Iowa message board mentioning this same quote. Even Drew Miller asks for a source in the comments, but doesn't get anything. If anybody wants to ping the Charles City Press about this, go for it, but let us know if you find anything."

This story isn't over.

Van

vanreuter, NY NY (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 5:36 PM)

The bottom line is that Clinton's vote for the Iran bill is all the President needs; he'll simply say, just like after the IWR, that he has Congressional approval to go to war. All Clinton will be able to say in return is the same thing she said last time, that what she was actually supporting was diplomacy, and the President is the one who used the authorization to actually go to war.

The problem for her is that the American public is not going to buy that excuse twice in a row.

Shadow, Hamden, CT (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 5:37 PM)

I think she handled that remarkably well considering that it was she who gave a Senate floor speech in February that made absolutely clear that Bush has no authority from Congress to attack Iran; moreover, it was she who just this week co-sponsored Jim Webb's resolution that reiterates that Bush has no authority from Congress to attack Iran. At what point does one get tired of being accused of factual inaccuracies?

Brandon, Long Beach, CA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 5:41 PM)

Clinton questioned about Iran in New Hapton
http://blogs.dmregister.com/?p=9179

David Goodner (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 5:54 PM)

Goes to show you what a crab apple Hillary Clinton really is. She also seems to be a war monger at heart. She has to be stopped now. Please do NOT caucus or vote for Hillary Clinton in your primary election - she's irrational, arrogant, and fast to go to war.

Andrea Taylor, Pensacola FL (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:09 PM)

I was there. "Snippy" doesn't begin to describe how she went after the guy, who had a really important question. She treated him as though he had no right to challenge her and tried to cut him off. Then she tried to describe the designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization as "robust diplomacy." By that logic, the 2002 AUMF was robust diplomacy too.

Susan, Floyd County (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:16 PM)

Rolph is absolutely, dead on right. This goes a long way toward explaining why Hillary has never admitted she made a mistake in voting Bush war powers in the first place. She just did the very same thing so she obviously feels a president SHOULD have as much unilateral power to invade other countries without reference to congress as possible, even now when the president in question is a proven war monger and liar. She clearly wants to have that same power herself and she is none too fond of giving us any details as to what her intentions are, dismissing questions about what she might do as President in a given situation as hypothetical. This is hardly trust inspiring. And I too am a registered Democrat.

Felix (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:28 PM)

I agree with Rolph...the only candidate I can support is Richardson, who wants us out from Iraq now and totally..and has diplomatic experience.

yvette sedlewicz, boise idaho (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:42 PM)

That guy was likely a plant from the Edwards' camp. Unfortunately, certain people are so anxious to tar and feather Hillary Clinton that they don't use their brains and do the proper research. Hillary handled it well and I'm glad she put the suggestion out there that this man was a plant. At this point, I would put nothing - absolutely nothing - past John Edwards and his supporters. The new Ipsos poll has Edwards at nine percent, which is terribly news for him.

Carl Desjardins (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:55 PM)

Ms. Clinton has avoided most tough questions ending
with a laugh. She has help with the press who
gives her a free pass. Her personality is argumentaivve and I am right. Like our present
president. I think America got a glimpse of what a Clinton presidency would be like. I hope that the press awaken from their slumber.

Louis Simpson (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 6:58 PM)

This is part of what Hillary said to the guy (I don't know why you guys leave important part of the story):

"We want to send a clear message to their leadership that we want to impose sanctions, see labeling them a terrorist organization gives us the authority to impose sanctions on their leadership"

Yep, Hillary is voting for "SANCTIONS" on Iran just like her vote 5 years ago was to let Bush go to the UN. Ya right! Since when is the label "terrorist Organization" become necessary to impose sanctions on a country? We know it is a useful label to take military action.

mike, dallas tx (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:19 PM)

Rolph must be part of the vast right wing conspiracy. I don't think so. I think he's a left wing think good thoughts and good things will happen democrat.

Welcome to the real world Mr Rolph. There really are BAD people out there, and they enormous resources called governments behind them. Every once in a while your party has to step up to the plate and do the right thing, how shocking.

Bill Glenn Arbor Michigan (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:30 PM)

The Clinton camp is gotta be getting sick of the tricks and attacks that Edwards and Obama have been launching in the past couple of weeks. They are poking a sleeping bear if you ask me. At some point the Clinton camp will respond with a quick swat of its massive paw, ripping some poor campaigner in half.

Dickie Flatts, Charlotte, NC (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:31 PM)

She cannot even take simple questions? How is she supposed to handle the hard stuff that would inevitably come up during her (God forbid) presidency?

Pete, Dallas, Texas (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:31 PM)

Cabbage is 91% water

erik olson (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:33 PM)

Hillary has NO chance of being elected president....shes a hack

Joe Clay (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:34 PM)

Heaven forbid that we attack Iran before Bush leaves office! Let's wait until after Iran nukes Tel Aviv. Then we can negotiate for peace. Don't put the cart before the horse.

Don Dork (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:38 PM)

Dear Democrats, I know you think George Bush doesn't listen to anyone and that he thinks anyone who disagrees with him is "unpatriotic"...but you ain't seen nuthin' til you try to disagree with a Clinton. Mr. Rolph should keep a close eye on his cat.

Dave Z, Harlyesville, PA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:41 PM)

Clinton is simply elitist. She neglected the rights of this man. Similarly, she will as president neglect the rights of the poor, the disenfranchised, and especially the unborn.

Jeff Johnson (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:41 PM)

At least Hillary, unlike Fred Thompson, knows that there no long is a Soviet Union.

Sam Elowitch, Farmington, Maine (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:41 PM)

It's a fair question the guy asked. Of course a military strike against Iran is something that could happen over the next 18 months. Her vote for designating an Iranian outfit as a terrorist organization might technically be accurate, but given the past 7 years it could very well be used by the Bush administration as a pretext for war (or missile strikes).

And it's also fair for the guy to suggest that her trust in Bush not to start another war is similarly as naïve as her vote to authorize force against Iraq.

Sam, CA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:42 PM)

The Iranian people are by and large friends of western liberalism; but liberalism is dead under the mullahs and their lapdog Ahmadinezhad. If the insist upon war with the west, we should give it to them, which they have with their proxy incursions into Iraq and Lebanon.

nyomythus (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:42 PM)

Didn't she say that the Iraq War resolution was about laying the groundwork for diplomacy and sanctions too? But she voted against the Levin alternative bill that was explicitly for diplomacy. The media and the public have bought her spin that she was voting for diplomacy in 2002. The truth is she read the polls showing Bush's numbers were high and she forgot to read the intelligence showing his war was under suspect pretenses. Now she is doing the same thing. She does this stuff to appear strong as a female candidate. But is doing the wrong thing to appear macho a sign of strength or a sign of weakness?

RKA, IL (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:42 PM)

As of Now she may not even survive feb5th and its looking HIGHLY dubious AT BEST if she get anything beforeSuper tuesday and if she loses super Tuesday....
Things turn ugly in Denver folks...

Roger Isom, Aberdeen WA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:43 PM)

I find it interesting that the Clinton's assume anyone questioning their record are opposition plants. It's almost as if they suffer from political paranoia.

Chukkal, Kent, WA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:43 PM)

As a democrat and a supporter of israel i support naming iran a terrorist state. However, i don't support Bushes assertion that we need to attack them. I also believe that if iran is honest in it's negations, it would be different. Diplomacy is the best route, however Iran posses as a direct threat not only to israel, but moderate arab states that support us, as well as israel. AMenejdad is in my book unreliable as a negoator and has no control over the millitary. You have to understand fundementalist islam, to understand irans position. he fact of the matter is israel is a democracy and we must support it's continuing survival as a state. While i am not supporting Clinton for other reasons, she is right on target with IRAN. I also am Governor Rihcardson disability director right now and working actively on his campaign. He is right, you need to talk with the bad guys, otherwise we would be continuning CHeney/Bush policies.

Philip B Kirschner, Brooklyn, NY (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:45 PM)

It's ok. Hillary's position will change 6 times in the next 4 months anyway.

Don Wenatchee WA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:45 PM)

Has anyone noticed that every once in awhile, every so slightly, the REAL Hillary Clinton peeks out? You know, the one that George Stephanopulus and Dee Dee Miers said demeaned them, or who screamed at the top of her lungs?
The truth is that Hillary is just another candidate that the American people should question. Does the country need a Bush, a Clinton, Bush, then another Clinton? Seriously, please no more Dynasties.

I for one will not vote for another Bush OR Clinton.

Eric K, Duluth, MN (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:46 PM)

Hillery is the plant, shes George W Bush II, shes pro war shes pro big business. Shes a Neocon plant.

MikeB (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:48 PM)

I see a tax audit for this guy when Hillary gets elected President.

Brad,Front Royal,VA (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:49 PM)

Well this shows what we all know, that Hillary clearly has no baggage or issues. Right?
If she wonders why people are asking her the question its because we all know that it was the same legislation that gave George Bush the go ahead to attack Iraq. We dont want a war with Iran, Hillary! And we arent planted here, all of us are concerned about why you voted that way.
"Pave the way for diplomacy" ? George Bush can even string together a coherent paragraph, how is he going to engage in diplomacy?

Pi (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:49 PM)

The U.S. Government is Israel's *****.

Brian Fejer (Sent Sunday, October 07, 2007 7:49 PM)

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