WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign yesterday belatedly explained that her flip-flop to oppose torture was an evolution inspired by talks with retired generals.
"Upon reflection and after meeting with former generals and others, Sen. Clinton does not believe that we should be making narrow exceptions to this policy based on hypothetical scenarios," said campaign spokesman Phil Singer.
Clinton (D-N.Y.) came out against all torture - "period" - in Wednesday's Democratic debate after previously telling the Daily News last October it would be okay to torture a terrorist to foil "something imminent."
Clinton's transformation on torture now aligns her perfectly with the voters she's trying to woo. A Zogby International poll this month found 64% of Americans oppose the interrogation tactic - and an earlier ABC poll showed more than 70% of Democrats are against it.
Clinton aides said she changed her mind after meeting in April with a group of retired three- and four-star generals.
But her epiphany appears to be incomplete. Clinton still hasn't signed a pledge with a group called the American Freedom Campaign that requested presidential candidates oppose all torture.
She and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are the only Democratic candidates who haven't signed on to the petition, launched in mid-August - well after she talked to the generals.
Obama, speaking to a crowd of several thousand people in Washington Square last night, pounced, saying, "There are folks who will shift positions and policies on all kinds of things depending on which way the wind is blowing."
Quipped Obama's top adviser, David Axelrod, "At least on this particular night, I thought she was less Yankee or Cub and more Dodger" - a play off her refusal to pick sides in a New York-Chicago World Series.
Republicans also piled on Clinton. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani hit her for shifting positions, while ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Clinton's torture twist showed "fundamental weakness."
Clinton had one high-profile defender - her husband. "I loved her answers," former President Bill Clinton said.
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"Upon reflection and after meeting with former generals and others, Sen. Clinton does not believe that we should be making narrow exceptions to this policy based on hypothetical scenarios," said campaign spokesman Phil Singer.
Clinton (D-N.Y.) came out against all torture - "period" - in Wednesday's Democratic debate after previously telling the Daily News last October it would be okay to torture a terrorist to foil "something imminent."
Clinton's transformation on torture now aligns her perfectly with the voters she's trying to woo. A Zogby International poll this month found 64% of Americans oppose the interrogation tactic - and an earlier ABC poll showed more than 70% of Democrats are against it.
Clinton aides said she changed her mind after meeting in April with a group of retired three- and four-star generals.
But her epiphany appears to be incomplete. Clinton still hasn't signed a pledge with a group called the American Freedom Campaign that requested presidential candidates oppose all torture.
She and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are the only Democratic candidates who haven't signed on to the petition, launched in mid-August - well after she talked to the generals.
Obama, speaking to a crowd of several thousand people in Washington Square last night, pounced, saying, "There are folks who will shift positions and policies on all kinds of things depending on which way the wind is blowing."
Quipped Obama's top adviser, David Axelrod, "At least on this particular night, I thought she was less Yankee or Cub and more Dodger" - a play off her refusal to pick sides in a New York-Chicago World Series.
Republicans also piled on Clinton. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani hit her for shifting positions, while ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said Clinton's torture twist showed "fundamental weakness."
Clinton had one high-profile defender - her husband. "I loved her answers," former President Bill Clinton said.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
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