Dean Esmay links a report that the soldiers visited by Sen. Clinton in Afghanistan and Iraq were less than enthusiastic and gives some reasonable analysis as to why that may have been the case. The crux of his argument is that Clinton is something of a proxy for the Democratic party as a whole, and the party has been quite opposed to the war.
While this is certainly true, I’m pretty sure anti-Hillary feelings go beyond the general antipathy of the Democrats to the war. The Clintons are viewed by many as anti-military. Not only did Bill use questionable means to avoid the Vietnam draft, but there are numerous documented cases of where Clinton or his staff made insulting comments about the armed forces. This was enhanced by the poor way he handled the gays in the military issue and the fact that he sent the military off on countless escapades during his tenure. Hillary, perhaps unfairly, is seen as an extension of her husband in this. Further, while troops are always excited to see the Commander in Chief, a visiting Senator is almost always going to be viewed as grandstanding–especially when that Senator isn’t on the Armed Services Committee or otherwise associated with the military.
All that said, I’m sure most of the troops nonetheless appreciated her gesture. From what little I saw of her Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, many were quite excited that she was there.
