Clinton: No Military Victory in Iraq

July 19, 2007 — -- In South Africa battling the AIDS crisis, former President Bill Clinton weighed in on the battle that's consumed the Senate this week: whether President Bush should pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.

All night Tuesday, Senate Democrats tried to convince Republicans to pass an amendment calling for withdrawal from Iraq. Meanwhile, over the past two days, several U.S. generals on the ground in Iraq, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace, have said they see signs of progress. Pace said he's seen "a sea change" in parts of Iraq. But Clinton doesn't believe a U.S. military victory can be had.

"The point is that there is no military victory here," he said exclusively to "Good Morning America." "I believe that Gen. Petraeus is a very able man. And I don't have any doubt that they'll win some battles. And I hope this works. I think every American hopes this works. But it can't work beyond winning a few battles. … It has to be accompanied by progress on the political front."

Clinton said Bush can buy time for his Iraq strategy through the summer, but that will change when officials re-evaluate the situation in September.

"The president has weathered the challenge in the Senate because of the filibuster. As long as he can hold more than 40 senators, he can stop the Senate from voting for a change in course," Clinton said. "But in the end, September will come and it won't be long."

Backing Up His Wife

While the former president is working with his foundation, his wife, Sen, Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is hitting the campaign trail hard. The former president rebuked Elizabeth Edwards' recent suggestion that Hillary Clinton wouldn't be as good an advocate for women as Edwards' husband, presidential candidate John Edwards.

"I defy you to find anybody who has run for office in recent history who's got a longer history of working for women, for families and children, than Hillary does," he said. "I don't think it's inconsistent with being a woman that you can also be knowledgeable on military and security affairs, and be strong when the occasion demands it. I don't consider that being manly -- I consider that being a leader."

In Johannesburg, Clinton is trying to combat the AIDS crisis that has hit sub-Saharan Africa harder than any other region in the world. His foundation is working with nine countries in Africa to roll out wide-ranging programs to scale up care and treatment.

Clinton estimates that they've been able to treat more than 2 million people infected with the disease. He believes reaching out to countries like the disease-stricken ones in Africa is important for the United States -- both politically and morally.

"While opinion of America is down almost everywhere in the world, it's up in the African countries," he said. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't be working on poverty and health care in the U.S. … But this is a tiny percentage of our overall budget. It's also the morally right thing to do to help these children."

It appears Clinton's charitable work has earned him a new reputation back home. At a July Fourth parade in Iowa, two women near the former president started cheering for him thinking he was the former "Price Is Right" host Bob Barker. Clinton welcomed their enthusiasm, even if they got his name wrong.

"I don't know if it's true or not, but I'll take it whatever it is," he said. "As long as they're screaming, that's good. Any scream is a good scream."