Clinton seeks to burnish military credentials in NC
Updated: 2008-04-25 08:44
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to emphasize her strength on defense and veterans issues while campaigning Thursday in a state with strong military ties and that is next to vote in the Democratic primary contest.
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North Carolina is home to the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune and the Army's Fort Bragg, two massive installations whose troops have suffered heavy losses in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clinton told an audience of several hundred people, including many military families, about her plans to improve life for veterans and said she wants to bring troops home from Iraq "as responsibly and quickly as we can."
"This will not be easy," she said. "There are no quick solutions to the dilemmas we face and the consequences that are likely to flow from whatever actions are taken."
The former first lady tried again, as she has before, to link voting for George W. Bush in 2000 to the idea of backing an untested candidate in this election -- invoking her Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, without mentioning his name.
"We cannot have a leap of faith or any guesswork in this election," she said.
"A lot of people voted for President Bush the first time because he said he was something called a compassionate conservative. That sounded good -- nobody knew what it meant -- but it sounded great," the New York senator added.
Clinton planned two more appearances Thursday in North Carolina, where she was joined by supporters with military and defense backgrounds, including Gen. Hugh Shelton, the retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former Fort Bragg commander.
North Carolina holds its primary May 6 -- a potentially decisive day in her quest for the Democratic presidential nomination after her a crucial win in Pennsylvania earlier this week. Indiana also votes May 6.
Obama is favored in North Carolina; the race in Indiana is considered close.
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