Meet the Candidates

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Age: 60

Hometown: Park Ridge, IL

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Career Highlights: Junior Senator from New York from 2001 to present; first lady from 1993-2001

RS Fun Fact: In true Clinton fashion, she poll-tested Barbra Streisand's endorsement before announcing it to the public.

Major Positions

Iraq

Senator Clinton is more hawkish than other Democratic presidential contenders; in October 2002, she said that Saddam Hussein "has given aid, comfort and sanctuary to terrorists — including Al Qaeda members. This is probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make. Any vote that might lead to war should be hard. But I cast it with conviction!" She hasn't denounced her war vote despite calls from her competitors to do so, but Clinton opposed President Bush's proposed troop surge in early 2007 and months later told Gen. David Petraeus that his remarks on progress in Iraq "really require a willing suspension of disbelief." She believes in a phased redeployment of troops rather than an immediate withdrawal.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama John McCain Mike Huckabee

Climate Change

Clinton started her campaign talking up the benefits of ethanol and clean coal. In October, she released a more aggressive plan calling for fifty-five miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency by 2030, emissions-free federal buildings and an array of other initiatives. She also wants to provide economic incentives for businesses and investing in clean-energy technologies, and co-sponsored the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, aimed to reduce carbon emissions to eighty percent below 1990 levels by no later than 2050.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama John McCain Mike Huckabee

Health Care

Clinton's health plan, which she calls universal, creates a mandate for all Americans to buy insurance coverage. She calls for large corporations to help cover the costs of care for their employees and provide tax breaks for small companies to entice them to do the same. Her proposal also outlaws insurance companies from excluding enrollees for "preexisting conditions" and offers a refundable tax credit to keep insurance premiums from exceeding "a percentage of family income." Clinton cites a calculation by a New Republic writer that Obama's plan would leave 15 million uninsured, although, judging from past experience with insurance mandates, it's not clear that Clinton's plan wouldn't produce a similar result. She intends to pay for everything by rolling back President Bush's tax cuts for individuals earning over $250,000 per year and using funds in the current health care system.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama John McCain Mike Huckabee

War On Terror

In October 2007, Clinton voted yes on a September 2007 resolution to call Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, explaining that "Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is in the forefront of that, as they are in the sponsorship of terrorism." She also said at a recent Democratic presidential-candidates, debate that national security is ultimately more important than civil liberties in executing the war on terror, and that war with Iran is not completely off the table.

Compare Positions: Barack Obama John McCain Mike Huckabee

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RS Poll

Which political spouse do you most wish were running for president instead of her/his spouse?

  • Elizabeth Edwards
  • Michelle Obama
  • Bill Clinton
  • Judi Giuliani
  • Jeri Thompson

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