Hillary Clinton in 2007 Democratic debate at St. Anselm College, sponsored by CNN & WMUR

On Civil Rights: Don't ask don't tell was an important transition step

Don't ask don't tell was an important first step, But talking about this as though there is a reality out there that a president or a Congress can change with the snap with a finger does a grave disservice to the American people. We have a political process. There's checks and balances, the Congress was adamantly opposed at the time to letting gays and lesbians serve openly. "Don't ask, don't tell" was the compromised policy. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On Health Care: Lower costs and improve quality and cover everybody

We have to lower costs, improve quality and cover everybody. What's important and what I learned in the previous effort is you've got to have the political will -- a broad coalition of business and labor, doctors, nurses, hospitals, everybody -- standing firm when the inevitable attacks come from the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies that don't want to change they system because they make so much money out of it. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On Health Care: Electronic medical records save $120 billion in health care

I have put forth approximately $120 billion in savings from health care changes--everything from electronic medical records to better management of chronic care. That is about in the ballpark of what all of us believe it will cost to cover everyone. The challenge that I'm wrestling with is how do we realize the savings? I don't think there is any Democrat that is not going to let the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans expire. We're all going to do that, so that money will be available. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On Immigration: Making English official imperils crises needing translators

If English becomes the official language, instead of recognized as national, that means in a place like New York City you can't print ballots in any other language. That means you can't have government pay for translators in hospitals so when somebody comes in with some sort of emergency there's nobody there to help translate what their problem is for the doctors. So many of us voted that English was our national language but not the official language because of the legal consequences of that. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On War & Peace: I have seen firsthand terrorists' terrible damage

I have lived with the aftermath of 9/11. And I have seen firsthand the terrible damage that can be inflicted on our country by a small band of terrorists who are intent upon foisting their way of life and using suicide bombers and suicidal people to carry out their agenda. And I believe we are safer than we were. We are not yet safe enough, and I have proposed over the last year a number of policies that I think we should be following. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On War & Peace: The Iraq war is Bush's war

The Iraq war is Bush's war. He is responsible for this war. He started the war. He mismanaged the war. He escalated the war. And he refuses to end the war. We are trying to end the war. And each of us has made that very clear. We have different approaches. I have a three-step plan to bring the troops home starting now, put pressure on the Iraqi government to take responsibility, and cut off aid when they won't, and engage in intensive diplomacy regionally and internationally. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On War & Peace: Iraq war wouldn't have happened had the inspectors been sent

Q: Do you regret not reading the National Intelligence Estimate before the Iraq war vote? A: I feel like I was totally briefed, I knew all of the arguments that were being made by everyone from all directions. I thought the best way to find out who was right in the intelligence community was to send in the inspectors. If Bush had allowed the inspectors to finish the job they started, we would have known that Saddam Hussein did not have WMD and we would not have gone and invaded Iraq. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On War & Peace: It was a mistake to trust Bush on his judgment to wage war

If I had known then what I know now I never would have voted to give Bush authority. It was a mistake to trust Bush that he would do what he told all of us he would do. He made it in speeches, he told us in private that he would put the inspectors in to determine whether or not the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Clinton administration, many other countries who thought that there were stores of chemical and biological weapons were true or not. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

On War & Peace: Iran having a nuclear weapon is absolutely unacceptable

I am very concerned about Iran, and we should have been using diplomacy for a number of years now. I am pleased that Bush is starting to talk to the Iranians, but it is way overdue. We have allowed the Iranians to begin their nuclear program, to imprison Iranian Americans as they are now, to send weapons across their borders to be used against our young men and women, and we need a process of engagement. Bush's policy has been, we don't talk to people we don't agree with or that we think are bad. All during the Cold War, we always talked to the Soviet Union. They had missiles pointed at us. They had leaders who said they would bury us. They waged wars around the world. We never stopped talking. In my administration, patient, careful diplomacy, th kind of diplomacy that really gets people to stay with it over time. Are you always going to get good results? No. But you've got to start the process. However, we still have to make it clear that Iran having a nuclear weapon is absolutely unacceptable. Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007

The above quotations are from 2007 Democratic debate at St. Anselm College, Manchester N.H., June 3, 2007, moderated by CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Click here for a profile of Hillary Clinton. Click here for Hillary Clinton on all issues.
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