Really?

At the same time Mrs. Clinton is calling for a larger military, she's criticizing the Pentagon for using aggressive recruitment tactics on her official Senate Web site - and has complained directly to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.

It's certainly difficult to see how Sen. Clinton intends to help military recruiters succeed while she's accusing them of invading the privacy of potential recruits and using racial profiling.

Still, the Post insists, "In her four years in office, Sen. Clinton has been one of the most consistently supportive members of her party on the conflict in Iraq and on the broader War on Terror"

No she hasn't. Not by a mile - although the mainstream press seems increasingly fond of this canard.

In fact, Mrs. Clinton was the first high-profile Democrat to shatter the bipartisan unity that swept the nation after the 9/11 attacks.

On May 16, 2002, she took to the Senate floor waving a copy - ironically - of that day's New York Post, with its front-page headline "Bush Knew," a story about the then just-discovered pre-9/11 presidential daily briefing warning of coming terrorist attacks.

"I am simply here today on the floor of this hallowed chamber to seek answers to the questions being asked by my constituents," Hillary explained. "Questions raised by one of our newspapers in New York with the headline 'Bush Knew.'

"The president knew what? My constituents would like to know the answer to that and many other questions. ... As for the president, he may not be in a position at this time to respond to all of those concerns, but he is in a position to answer some of them, including the question of why we know today, May 16, about the warning he received. Why did we not know this on April 16 or March 16 or February or January 16 or August 16 of last year?"

Mrs. Clinton's criticism of Bush's conduct of the war on terror has continued almost non-stop ever since.

In 2003, for instance, she criticized the commander in chief in the Arab press - a particularly egregious violation of protocol.

In comments picked up by Islamic newspapers from Tehran to Islamabad, Hillary complained that Bush administration war policies were "arrogant and insolent."

According to the Iranian news service Mehr, "the wife of the former U.S. president further added that Bush is not willing to admit his mistakes in Iraq, the grave mistakes that have endangered the lives of both the Iraqi people and the U.S. servicemen alike." Mehr further quoted Mrs. Clinton as saying that "the U.S. is trapped in the quagmire of Iraq."

In November 2003, Hillary crossed the line again, while meeting with U.S. troops during her own trip to Iraq.

She later explained to reporters that she told the GIs: "There are many questions at home about the [Bush] administration's policies. ... We have to exert all of our efforts militarily, but the outcome is not assured."

Mrs. Clinton's supporters have certainly gotten the message. Hillary backer Bob Kunst has put together the first round of 2008 presidential campaign ads, set to run soon in New Hampshire.

The Kunst spot shows a cartoon former first lady cleaning up the "mess" Bush has created, including one pile of garbage labeled "Iraq."

Still, the Post concludes:

"It would be ironic if Mrs. Clinton converted herself into the candidate most earnestly committed to ensuring that the U.S. Army has the tools necessary to win this war."

It would be even more ironic if conservative news outlets helped Hillary win the White House by pretending she's suddenly morphed into Gen. Patton in a pantsuit.

Editor's note:
If you love George Bush – you’ll love NewsMax’s "Bush Collection" – Check it out – Click Here Now
The Stunning Truth About Hillary in Ed Klein’s New Book – Check Out our FREE offer!

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Media Bias
Sen. Hillary Clinton