Did Hillary Clinton Say She is Unpatriotic?

Hillary Clinton inquired of Robert Gates, Sec of Defense. about the specifics of any plan to withdraw the troops from Iraq. Responding on behalf of Gates was Eric S. Edelman, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. Edelman declined to reveal any Pentagon plans for withdrawal based upon the fact that disclosure would be a tactical mistake to be exploited by our enemies. Key language in Edelman’s response included this sentence:

Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia.

In essence, Edelman told Clinton that he is not going to disclose any Pentagon plans to her. Read the entire letter here.

Hillary Clinton had a totally different take on what Edelman’s letter had to say. Here’s what Clinton said in the 7/23/07 You Tube Democratic Presidential debate.

I happen to agree that there is no military solution, and the Iraqis refuse to pursue the political solutions. In fact, I asked the Pentagon a simple question: Have you prepared for withdrawing our troops? In response, I got a letter accusing me of being unpatriotic; that I shouldn't be asking questions.

The truth of the matter is that Clinton should not be asking stupid questions for the exact reasons that Edelman enumerated. What Edelman specifically did not mention was anything about Clinton asking questions or questioning her patriotism or lack there of.

One thing you can be sure of is that Clinton is hopping mad that Edelman refused her. Her ego is way too big to accept rejection from someone as lowly as Edelman, and she is probably peeved that Sec of Defense Gates did not personally respond to her. Clinton again wrote Gates trying to get him to disavow Edelman’s response. No such luck. Gates wrote Clinton back and firmly supported Edelman.

The question is, has Hillary Clinton deliberately lied about Edelman’s response and continued the legacy of her lying “I did not have sex with that woman” husband? Or, has she unwittingly told us something about herself through the process of psychological projection?

In psychology psychological projection (or projection bias) is a defensive mechanism in which one attributes to others one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts or/and emotions. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted subconscious impulses/desires without letting the ego recognize them. The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud and further refined by his daughter Anna Freud, and for this reason, it is sometimes referred to as "Freudian Projection"

This is a no-win situation for the Senator from New York and would be Democratic candidate for the presidency. She is either an outright liar or a self-admitted unpatriotic American. I’m thinking she can survive politically better as a liar. Most of the country could probably accept that as an accurate assessment since lying may be a Clinton family trait. Nevertheless, I guess it could be both the former and the latter choices together.

Links in this blog:
Hillary Clinton 5/22/07 letter to Sec of Defense Gates
Edelman letter to Hillary Clinton
Dept of Defense Web site
Democratic presidential debate transcript
Hillary Clinton 7/19/07 letter to Sec Def Gates
Sec of Defense Gates letter to Hillary Clinton 7/26/07
Psychological Projection