Clinton, Obama defend votes on war bill

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"I think it's important for someone like me who's been a strong supporter of the military and has worked hard to get our troops everything they need to start saying, 'Look, the best thing we can do for them is to get them out of the middle of this sectarian civil war,'" said the New York senator, who serves with McCain on the Armed Services Committee.

Her comments met with loud applause from several hundred people at a town meeting in Mason City.

Hours after the Senate vote, Democrats and Republicans unleashed critical, increasingly personal statements challenging their rivals — rhetoric certain to appeal to each party's core voters. McCain even went as far as to correct Obama's spelling of flak jacket.

Obama defended his vote as one for a new Iraq policy for the country and U.S. troops.

"So let's put aside the fear mongering and let's put aside the rhetoric and let's put aside the politics and let's come together and ... all of us support the troops," Obama told a labor gathering in Chicago as he called for bringing the troops home. "That's our message to

George Bush. That's our message to John McCain. That's our message to Mitt Romney. That's our message to Republicans in Congress."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070525/ap_on_...candidates_iraq