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Hillary Backs Licenses for Immigrants

Plants flag in effort to recoup after embarrassing forum fumble

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 31, 2007 10:16 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Hillary Clinton came out in support of drivers licenses for illegal immigrants today, in an effort to separate herself not so much from her competitors but her own flubbed answer to a question about them at Tuesday night's candidate forum. At the forum she drew gleeful opprobrium from the other candidates for flip-flopping; first she was for then against the hot-button proposal from beleaguered New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Clinton's support signaled the campaign's calculation, Nagourney notes, that it's more important to  counter current charges that she's evasive than to avoid taking a position that might come back to haunt her in the general election. She also tried to retake the high ground after being sacked by her opponents for the stumble. On her web site she accused the six men of engaging in the “politics of pile-on,”  not the "politics of hope."

Democratic presidential hopefusl Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pass each other during a break at a debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Democratic presidential hopefusl Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., pass each other during a break at a debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Oct. 30,...   (Associated Press)
Democratic presidential hopefuls former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., left, stands next to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., before the start of a Democratic debate at Drexel University Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007, in Philadelphia. The debate was sponsored in part by NBC News. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)
Democratic presidential hopefuls former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., left, stands next to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., before the start of a Democratic debate at Drexel University Tuesday, Oct....   (Associated Press)
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members, Democratic President hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., right, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., take part in the committee's hearing on the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Dennis...
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members, Democratic President hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., right, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., take part in the committee's hearing on...   (Associated Press)
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Watch Hillary's response video here
Hillaryhub.com

Was it really a 'gotcha' moment?
Progressive

 
Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John Edwards • illegal immigrant • gaffe

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