WASHINGTON (AFP) -Democratic 2008 front-runner Hillary Clinton on Wednesday bluntly said Iraq's government had failed, and condemned President George W. Bush on stem-cell research, as she wooed liberal activists.
Senator Clinton attracted sporadic boos from peace campaigners angered by her past positions on the war, but repeated ovations for her domestic policies, as she addressed the "Take Back America" conference of 3,000 activists here.
"The American military has succeeded, it is the Iraqi government which has failed to make the tough decisions that are important for their own people," Clinton said.
That comment drew boos and jeers from a group of "Code Pink" anti-war activists, who held up signs that read "Out of Iraq Now."
"You know, I love coming here every year, I see the signs: 'Lead us out of Iraq now.' -- that is what we are trying to do," Clinton said, refering to her visit to the conference last year when she was roundly booed after refusing to sign up to firm dates for troop withdrawals.