During a top-level war briefing at the White House last month, Hillary told Vice President Dick Cheney that he should go visit Iraq.
Sen. Clinton has been to Iraq twice before, and told the VP it would be a positive experience to see the troops and terrain for himself, according to the New York Post.
The Post’s source also revealed that Cheney, who had not been in Iraq since before the war, looked at Hillary but didn’t respond to her advice. But a few hours later, Cheney announced a trip to the Middle East, which, on December 18, did include a surprise stop in Iraq.
The White House meeting also covered the Iraqi elections, and Hillary said, “There was a palpable sense of relief that the elections had gone so well.”
But Mrs. Clinton also said that many of her concerns went unaddressed: “There are so many unanswered questions, and I’m going to continue to urge that we set some benchmarks that we can measure progress—that we then let the Iraqis and their new government know that we are not here for an indefinite future,” she said.
