Hillary: Iraq Combat Was 'The Easy Part'

Just hours after returning from her trip to Iraq, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton put her foot in her mouth once again, this time suggesting that U.S. troops who fought in Iraq during the most intense period of combat had it easy.

Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon about what she saw in Iraq, Mrs. Clinton contended, "The hard part started on May 1," referring to the date when President Bush declared an end to major combat operations there.

Then, with an ill-timed laugh, the former first lady added, "The easy part, if you look at it, was the military part."

Sen. Clinton's comment comes on the heels of a firestorm of protest prompted by her remarks on Friday, when she told GIs stationed on the front lines in Baghdad that Americans back home had "many questions" about President Bush's Iraq war policy.

Later, in a radio interview that was broadcast into the combat zone, Sen. Clinton suggested the U.S. might lose the war in Iraq, saying that its outcome "is not assured."

Sen. Clinton also urged President Bush on Monday to refocus the war on terrorism on apprehending Osama bin Laden, describing the al-Qaeda leader as "a mythic presence" and "a recruiting tool."

"He is a clear and present danger," she insisted.

To hear Mr. and Mrs. Clinton explain why they turned down Sudan's offer to extradite Osama bin Laden to the U.S., Click Here.

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