Hillary takes a stand -- on flag burning

She may waffle on Iraq, but she knows what to do about that menace back home, sort of.

Published December 6, 2005 6:50PM (EST)

Earlier today, we wondered about conservatives who are ranting about some trumped-up war on Christmas when there are just a few more important things going on in the world. But Republicans aren't the only ones who are grandstanding about nonsense while Rome burns.

Meet Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The senator from New York can't find her way to a clear position on Iraq; in a speech destined to appear in an " I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it" kind of TV commercial one day, Clinton said over the weekend, "I disagree with those who believe we should pull out, and I disagree with those who believe we should stay without end." But by God, the woman who would be president knows where she stands on the pressing issue of flag burning.

She's against it, sort of.

Clinton has agreed to co-sponsor a bill by Utah Republican Sen. Bob Bennett that would make it illegal for anyone to intimidate any other person by burning the flag, to burn someone else's flag or to desecrate the flag on federal property. At the same time, however, Clinton continues to oppose efforts to amend the Constitution to prohibit flag burning. Without such an amendment, it's not at all clear that Bennett's proposal would survive the inevitable trip to the Supreme Court. So isn't Clinton just trying to have her cake and eat it, too?

We repeat: "I disagree with those who believe we should pull out, and I disagree with those who believe we should stay without end."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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