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Sen clinton visiting afghan troops iraq thanksgiving { November 25 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--clintonabroad1125nov25,0,536143,print.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wirehttp://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--clintonabroad1125nov25,0,536143,print.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
Sen. Clinton to spend Thanksgiving with troops in Afghanistan, visit Iraq
By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer
November 25, 2003, 5:45 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will spend Thanksgiving in Afghanistan before traveling to Iraq with a former Army paratrooper turned senator to meet with soldiers and ask questions about the United States' ongoing nation-building efforts.
The former first lady and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., have both been critical of the administration's handling of post-combat problems in the war on terrorism, particularly after major military operations ended in Iraq.
Clinton and Reed said Tuesday they were concerned about the current efforts to win the "hearts and minds" of Iraqis.
"This administration is run by people who have been obsessed with Saddam Hussein for more than a decade," Clinton said. "And the fact that they could have been so poorly informed and prepared raises a lot of serious questions about the decisions they are making now."
Reed said he is worried "the administration seems to be rushing toward an exit strategy" in Iraq by transferring power as quickly as possible to civilian police authority.
The trip marks Clinton's first fact-finding mission abroad as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
While in Afghanistan, Clinton, D-N.Y., plans to spend time with members of the 10th Mountain Division, which is based in Fort Drum, New York and is now serving in Afghanistan.
The division suffered casualties last weekend when an Army transport helicopter crashed near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, killing five U.S. soldiers and injuring seven others.
"I'm still very worried about Afghanistan ... The Taliban and al-Qaida are clearly making a comeback," Clinton said. "I'm very honored that we'll be spending Thanksgiving with our 10th Mountain Division troops."
New York's junior senator said she wants to "see and hear for myself what people tell me on the ground," adding she will "be supportive where I can be supportive and I'm going to have questions where I think it's in our national interest to ask those questions."
Reed has already visited Afghanistan and Iraq within the past year, and wants to compare what he saw then with current conditions.
The Rhode Island senator said the United States is now at "a very critical moment" in its international military efforts. After his visit to Iraq, Reed complained vociferously that some units from his home state weren't getting sufficient armor protection. While more have that protection now, Reed said, "the equipment is still slow flowing."
Reed said he is concerned that too many reserve and National Guard units are having to "make do" with insufficient equipment and protection, and wants to hear from individual soldiers about what they believe they need to complete their mission.
The two have criticized aspects of the administration's oversight of the U.S. military during the war on terror. Clinton voted for both the authorization to use force in Iraq and the $87 billion package to help rebuild that country and Afghanistan.
But even as she voted for the spending measure, she called it "a bill for failed leadership."
Reed, a West Point graduate who was once a company commander with the 82nd Airborne Division, voted against the force authorization and for the spending measure.
For Clinton, the trip is also a chance to bring attention to one of her long-time public causes: the advancement of women in the political systems of other nations.
She plans to meet with different groups of women leaders of both countries, and lobby for their inclusion in the nation-building effort.
"I want to be sure that women are involved in all levels," she said, adding she wants to take advantage of Reed's military experience as she tours military operations.
"I do know a little about winning the hearts and minds of people and developing a political strategy that gets people on your side, and I've been amazed and disappointed at how poorly our government has carried that out."
Reed said the nation's attention has "focused dramatically away from" Afghanistan since Taliban forces were routed, and said he is worried "we may have lost some ground in light of the resurgence of the Taliban and the appropriate integration not only of our forces, but NATO forces."
Citing security concerns, the exact itinerary of the trip was not disclosed. Clinton, who travels with Secret Service protection, said she was not concerned about her safety, but her office would not discuss what, if any, extra protective efforts were made for her trip.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press
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