The New York Times reports that Senator Clinton acknowledges what any mature statesman must: Even if she were elected President, an immediate, complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq would be the wrong thing to do:

She said in the interview that there were “remaining vital national security interests in Iraq” that would require a continuing deployment of American troops.

The United States’ security would be undermined if parts of Iraq turned into a failed state “that serves as a petri dish for insurgents and Al Qaeda,” she said. “It is right in the heart of the oil region. It is directly in opposition to our interests, to the interests of regimes, to Israel’s interests.”

I’ve remarked before that Senator Clinton, notwithstanding how much is distasteful (okay, or worse) about her as a candidate, stands out in one important regard — and does so even despite her husband’s own weakness in the same department: She is often willing to spend political capital to act and sound like a leader. For someone seeking the Democratic nomination to make the admission above puts her head and shoulders above the rest of them, and presents a real potential problem for the GOP candidate on what should be the GOP candidate on what should be the Republicans’ strongest issue: The question of whether any Democrat can be trusted on foreign policy.

UPDATE: Tom McGuire rounds up, is unimpressed.

The Captain’s Quarters blog reports that Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell is hosting a reception for CAIR, a front for terrorism, tomorrow at the U.S. Capitol:

CAIR’s ties to terrorism have been outlined by Joe Kaufman at Front Page for some time. They first came to light when the Islamic organization attempted to hijack 9/11 donations by sending them to the Holy Land Foundation — a “charity” that funded Hamas. After getting caught, CAIR explicitly noted that the funds would go to the HLF and to a new entity called Global Relief Foundation — which sent money to Al-Qaeda and other related groups.

Pascrell’s approval of CAIR’s meeting request was confirmed by the Washington Times and by me, just now, with my fancy black telephone. One remarkable aspect of this is that Pascrell — my representative — represents the very orthodox Jewish communities in Passaic and Clifton, New Jersey. But his District also includes Paterson, a major Muslim population and cultural center.

So Pascrell is in a tough spot, politically, but it should be tougher. Realpolitik concerns and the self-immolation of the GOP in my home state have guaranteed Pascrell a lifetime tenure in New Jersey, a one-party state if there ever was one.

I don’t know how much can be mobilized in my neighborhood to protest against Pascrell’s support of CAIR in this short time (though it is not really news), but this demonstrates how Jews, for all their purported political clout and sophistication, can be co-opted as fast as any other interest group once there is no longer a political alternative. This is what has happened in New Jersey.

UPDATE: More context from Lynn B. InContext (hat tip to David Gerstman) and Jihad Watch.

UPPERDATE: Maybe they will get to Washington via AIR-CAIR! No security checks needed.