Clinton invokes Montana trailblazer

MISSOULA – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton laid claim Sunday to Montana’s famed female trailblazer – Jeannette Rankin, who in 1916 became the first woman elected to Congress.

“Remember, Jeannette Rankin was elected before women could vote. So who says men don’t vote for a woman?” Clinton told an audience crowded into an airport hangar.

Clinton reaffirmed her vote to authorize the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying she believed at the time it was a vote to send in weapons inspectors, not to launch immediate military action.

“I’m more than willing to be held accountable for it, because that’s the way it is in life. You are judged on your actions,” said Clinton, who took the stage with Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss and state Sen. Carol Williams, of Missoula, Montana’s first female Senate majority leader.

Also Sunday, the Clinton campaign outlined ways Montana would benefit from her plan to reduce reliance on foreign oil, address global warming and promote alternative energy.

“As president, Hillary will be a strong partner with Montana, investing $150 billion in research, development and deployment of clean energy over the next decade, including $50 billion through a Strategic Energy Fund paid for with a windfall profits tax on large oil companies,” the campaign said in a news release.

Associated Press