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Hillary Clinton’s trade claims contradicted by records

April 3, 2008

By Sheldon Alberts

Senator Barack Obama's campaign yesterday accused his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of grossly exaggerating claims she spoke out against the North American Free Trade Agreement as first lady.

Ms. Clinton's White House records "completely contradict" her assertions she was a frequent and forceful critic of the deal her husband signed with the Canadian and Mexican governments, an Obama spokesman said as aides sought to undo political damage the Illinois Senator has suffered because of the "NAFTA-gate" controversy with Canada.

"I find it disturbing [she] would rewrite history at this point," said Representative George Miller of California, an Obama supporter who voted in Congress against NAFTA in 1993. "If she was such a strong opponent of it, and spoke out so often about it, why did she never speak to those of us who were principals in that … I don't know who these audiences are that she refers to, but they weren't members of Congress."

Mr. Obama's campaign pounced on Ms. Clinton's NAFTA record after the New York Senator told a labour union in Philadelphia on Tuesday she had "raised a big yellow caution flag" during the heated battle over the trade deal.

As president, her husband Bill Clinton made passage of NAFTA a key priority during his first administration.

"I said, 'I'm not sure this will work,' and I have a plan to fix NAFTA," Ms. Clinton said this week, adding she made her opposition known to "many different audiences."

But her White House schedules, which were released last month, paint a different picture. They include records showing she held several pro-NAFTA briefings with trade activists.

At a "drop-by briefing" on Nov. 10, 1993, she made remarks "were totally pro-NAFTA and [about] what a good thing it would be for the economy," one participant told ABC News.

The apparent contradictions are potentially significant as Ms. Clinton battles Mr. Obama for support among blue-collar white voters in Pennsylvania, where the Democratic primary will be held on April 22.

A Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday showed her with a nine-percentage-point lead in the state.

The questions about the veracity of Ms. Clinton's statements about NAFTA come amid a major controversy over false claims about a visit she made to Bosnia as first lady in 1996.

Last month, she said repeatedly she had dodged sniper fire during the visit, but was forced to recant after CBS News aired extensive footage showing she was in no danger.

"The truth is, her opposition to NAFTA is just as much a stretch as her story about landing in Bosnia under sniper fire," said Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama's communications director.

The Clinton campaign responded with several testimonials from former White House officials, including presidential advisor David Gergen, who recalled her being "extremely unenthusiastic about NAFTA" before its approval.

In the past two months, the two candidates have been dogged by questions about their NAFTA views.

In February, both insisted they would withdraw from the trade deal unless they could negotiate stronger environmental and labour mobility standards.

But Mr. Obama lost to Ms. Clinton in Ohio after reports that Austan Goolsbee, his senior economic advisor, told the Canadian consul general in Chicago the Illinois senator's tough talk on NAFTA was just campaign rhetoric. Ms. Clinton has also used the incident to hammer Mr. Obama among voters in Pennsylvania.

"Instead of making false attacks on Hillary Clinton's character, the Obama campaign should finally explain why it continues to mislead voters about Mr. Goolsbee's meeting with the Canadian government," her campaign said yesterday.

Source:  National Post

Posted by Justin Thyme · Filed Under Hillary Clinton Make Overs, News 

Comments

One Response to “Hillary Clinton’s trade claims contradicted by records”

  1. Esther Nern on April 3rd, 2008 12:06 pm

    My God can’t hillary clinton’s stake in the heart, “The truth about her”, be made more public. If that woman is exposed to the light of day she will burst into flames like the lead in a bad vampire movie. And like that vampire if elected president she will suck the life out of everything that is good in America.

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