XPost: dc.politics, atl.general, uw.clubs.vietnamese   
   XPost: alt.politics.bush   
   From: mstewart@jail.com   
      
   DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) " Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign on   
   Sunday defended her donations from Wall Street by saying she   
   worked to help the financial sector rebuild after the Sept. 11,   
   2001, attacks and sought to address the abuses that led to an   
   economic crisis.   
      
   During the second Democratic presidential debate on Saturday,   
   her main rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, put Clinton on the   
   defensive when he said Wall Street had been the major   
   contributor to her campaigns. "Now maybe they're dumb and they   
   don't know what they're going to get, but I don't think so," he   
   said.   
      
   Clinton accused Sanders of trying to "impugn my integrity" and   
   said that as a New York senator, she helped New York City's   
   financial hub rebuild. "That was good for New York and it was   
   good for the economy and it was a way to rebuke the terrorists   
   who had attacked our country," she said, her voice rising.   
      
   On Sunday, Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon elaborated,   
   saying in a statement that her work to help the financial   
   industry rebuild after 9/11 "did not mean she ever hesitated to   
   call out and seek to reform the abuses and excesses that led to   
   the economic crisis. She did so early and often."   
      
   Her debate response drew an incredulous reaction on social media   
   sites like Twitter, and the debate's moderators asked Clinton to   
   respond to one Twitter user, who took issue with her mention of   
   9/11 to justify the contributions.   
      
   "Well, I'm sorry that whoever tweeted that had that impression   
   because I worked closely with New Yorkers after 9/11 for my   
   entire first term to rebuild," Clinton said. "I had a lot of   
   folks give me donations from all kinds of backgrounds say, 'I   
   don't agree with you on everything. But I like what you do. I   
   like how you stand up. I'm going to support you.' And I think   
   that is absolutely appropriate."   
      
   The exchange highlighted one of Sanders' main critiques of   
   Clinton: That she has maintained close ties to Wall Street   
   executives during her political career and would be less   
   forceful in policing the risky behavior of financial firms that   
   Sanders says led to the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009.   
      
   Both Sanders and ex-Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley support   
   reinstating the Glass-Steagall law which once separated   
   commercial and investment banking but was repealed in 1999 under   
   her husband, President Bill Clinton. The former secretary of   
   state says repealing Glass-Steagall wouldn't go far enough to   
   curb risks pushed by a shadow banking system.   
      
   When Clinton raised Wall Street donations along with 9/11, her   
   Democratic rivals quickly pounced. In the post-debate "spin   
   room," O'Malley told reporters, "I'll let her answer that gaffe.   
   I think it was one of the biggest ones of the night."   
      
   Mark Longabaugh, a top Sanders' adviser, said, "Do I think it's   
   a legitimate defense? No. I don't see how you can make those two   
   pieces go together." He called the exchanges over Wall Street   
   the "pivotal moments of the debate."   
      
   Republicans said Clinton had hidden shamefully behind the 9/11   
   attacks to deflect attention from her ties to her wealthiest   
   donors. And they signaled that the response would likely find   
   its way into advertising if Clinton becomes the Democratic   
   nominee.   
      
   "It's an intersection between stupid and offensive, and I think   
   that's going to be a big problem as the campaign heads into the   
   general election," said Sean Spicer, the Republican National   
   Committee's chief strategist.   
      
   Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta told reporters that   
   Clinton's "integrity was impugned and what she was saying was   
   that she was proud to represent the state of New York, to help   
   rebuild lower Manhattan."   
      
   "When people attack her and call her quote-unquote the 'senator   
   from Wall Street,' they ought to remember that she was   
   instrumental in trying to rebuild an important part of the New   
   York economy," he said.   
      
   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid   
   =11545897   
          
      
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