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Clinton on Flip-Flops: 'Why Would I Be Held Responsible for Evolving Positions?'

January 11, 2016

Hillary Clinton bristled at a question from the Des Moines Register editorial board on Monday about her famous position shifts over the years, asking why she should be held responsible for evolving views when other candidates have done the same thing.

Clinton was asked about her trustworthiness problems with voters, an area where she has consistently polled poorly.

"Is some of this trust issue, fairly or otherwise, can some of that be traced back to the fact that your position has evolved on several key issues, do you think?" a reporter asked.

"Well, I don't see why," she said. "I don't know anybody whose positions haven't evolved. Why would I be held responsible for evolving positions, which I think is a strength, as you learn more. But if you mention specific positions, I'm more than happy to respond. If I'm the only person ever running for office in America who has, quote, evolved positions, I would be surprised."

Clinton has wavered on several major policy positions as she's run more to the left in this Democratic primary, after then-Sen. Barack Obama outflanked her in 2008 en route to capturing the nomination. Clinton voted for the Iraq War and opposed gay marriage as a senator, and as secretary of state, she supported the Keystone XL pipeline and promoted the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Clinton renounced her support for the Iraq War long ago, and she has flipped on each of the other issues as she has sought the 2016 Democratic nomination.