Clinton: I Will Not Target Sanctuary Cities
Hillary Clinton speaks to voters in Brownsburg, Ind., Thursday, a day after sitting down with FOX News' Bill O'Reilly to discuss her foreign and domestic policy plans. (AP Photo)
Hillary Clinton, in the second half of her first-ever interview with FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly, said that if elected president she would not crack down on so-called illegal immigrant “sanctuary cities.”
Clinton outlined several points of her foreign policy platform in the final segment of the interview, which aired Thursday. She declared there’s nothing left to achieve in Iraq and issued a stern warning about the threats Iran poses to that region once U.S. troops withdraw.
Asked about the controversial topic of sanctuary cities — cities that encourage a hands-off approach to local enforcement of federal immigration policy — Clinton swiftly responded, “No I’m not (going to target them). I’m not.”
She said she wants illegal immigrants to feel safe reporting crimes and that “sometimes you have two competing values.”
But she said federal immigration policy is “broken” and needs reform.
“I’m 100 percent in favor of tightening our borders, of enforcing the laws against employers, of going after the kind of abuses that we see in the job market, of making it clear that we have got to figure out what we’re going to do with people,” she said.
Clinton joined O’Reilly in South Bend, Ind., on Wednesday for her first appearance in the “The O’Reilly Factor,” putting the squeeze on rival Barack Obama (who went on FOX News Sunday for the first time over the weekend) and other Democrats to do the same.
Clinton campaign aides said her appearance on the show was designed to reach out to working-class, independent white men who could decide the outcome of next week’s Indiana primary.
A day after tackling the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, Clinton moved on to discuss the Iraq war and Middle Eastern policies, saying there’s no military solution in Iraq and that U.S. troops have already fulfilled their mission.
“First of all, I believe that our military has fulfilled all their military missions,” Clinton said, as her campaign also criticized President Bush for Iraq policies on the fifth anniversary of the “Mission Accomplished” banner. “There’s no doubt in my mind. They got rid of Saddam Hussein, which they were asked to do. They gave the Iraqis free and fair elections. They gave the Iraqi government the space and time to make the decisions that only the Iraqis can make for themselves.
“There is no military solution to what we face in Iraq, which is unprecedented. It is dangerous, it is unstable,” she said.
Clinton also charged Iran with fueling the bloodshed in Iraq.
“I think it’s somewhat open to debate as to whether Iran really wants to see us withdraw, and here’s why. They have been an equal opportunity supporter of the militias, of the insurgents, of anybody who would pick up arms against the United States,” she said.
But she took a decidedly softer tone after telling ABC that she would “attack Iran” and “we would be able to totally obliterate them” if the country attacked Israel with nuclear weapons.
“If Iran were to ever obtain a nuclear weapon, that would be unbelievably bad for us and the world. And I’m going to do everything I can to prevent that from ever happening,” she told FOX News, leaving it at that.
Iran strongly condemned Clinton late Wednesday for her previous statements. Its deputy United Nations ambassador said the remarks were “provocative, unwarranted and irresponsible.”
Clinton said as president she would withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, and emphasize “the political and the diplomatic.”
“There will be a lot of conflict between the Iranians and the Iraqis moving forward if the United States is on the sidelines, instead of in the middle.”
Both Democratic candidates were campaigning hard Thursday in Indiana, which votes alongside North Carolina May 6.
Clinton is still trailing in delegates, but hoping to close part of the gap on Tuesday. However, as Obama grapples with the Wright controversy, her campaign got a jolt when a longtime superdelegate supporter defected to Obama.
“A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote to continue” a long, self-destructive Democratic campaign, former national party Chairman Joe Andrew wrote in a letter designed to have an impact on the turbulent race nationally as well as in his home state of Indiana.
He urged Democrats to “reject the old negative politics” and unify behind Obama.
FOX News’ Aaron Bruns and The Associated Press contributed to this report.





good for Joe Andrew - let’s start a new page
in our government. With a government
by the people and for the people… Obama 2008
Same old same old. Law abiding, tax paying citizens can’t count on the Democrats to stand up for them. She stands with those who are illegal above fellow citizens. I say let the illegals vote for her then. See how many of them get to the polls!
Is anyone else upset that all the candidates (in both parties) still get paid a huge salary by the taxpayers in their states for taking a year off from their jobs to travel around the country? I sure wish that my job would allow me to do that! It seems that if you are currently in office, and you want to run for something, you should have to resign before you can run for some other office. Just my two cents…I guess nothing really ever gets done with them all in congress anyway, so why not pay them to wander around the country.
While Obama is doing daytime talk with the ladies, Halliary is talking about issues. I doubt Obama even knows what a Santuary City is…I give you a hint Obama, It doesn’t have anything to do with birds.
Hillary Clinton couldn’t of done any better than she did with her interview on “THE FACTOR”…I’ve had the chance to see Hillary Clinton and ask her questions here in New York State where I live and I find her very smart,friendly and always looking out for the people..Thanks Hillary Clinto for appearing on “The Factor and letting people see the real you…Yankee Trader
the fact that hillary even sat down with bill took a lot of guts and she just got a lot more support from undecided voters
RightON Madam President! Your plan is compassionate YET strong. The vast majority of Americans have immigrant backgrounds. Even Mr Obama!! By the way, Obama doesn’t hold a candle to your brilliance and spark, your tenacity and your drive!!
Mr Obama: you are a LOSER for a candidate of the President of the United States of America. Go back to District 13 in Chicago and clean it up before you take over the country with your Rezko/Ayers and Wright friends!
Clinton looked very confident and stood up very well to the tough interview of Bill O’Reilly.
WOW - Impressive - I did not see or hear the interview, however, according to the article it seems Hillary held her own on Iraq. I have voted Republican since 1980. I still don’t trust her and believe her (and Bill) wil do anything to get her into the White House. I am currently reading a book about the history of Viet Nam from the 1880’s thru 1975 (when the US troops pulled out). Kennedy’s advisors, generals, certainly had fear in their minds about the “Red’s”, and sadly, the next Presidents (Johnson/Nixon) dumped troops after troops into the country - to no avail. This is not the case in Iraq, but when will it end? Americans are sick of this war as they are about gas prices.
HILLARY YOU ROCK!!! i have so much respect and admiration for you, you are an intelligent person, and i think you would be the best choice for presidency!!