Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson endorses Clinton

Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), who is trying to woo the anti-war faction of her party, received a boost Monday when Iraq war critic and former ambassador Joseph Wilson endorsed her White House bid.

Wilson gained prominence when he wrote an op-ed after the invasion of Iraq that accused the Bush administration of hyping a claim that the regime of Saddam Hussein was seeking to obtain yellowcake uranium from Niger.

{mosads}He was then cast in the spotlight again after the Bush administration leaked the name of his wife, who was a CIA operative, to the media.

“I have known Hillary Clinton for a decade,” Wilson said. “She is the one candidate who, in my judgment, understands the need to get Americans out of harm’s way and to move this to a political process.

“On day one,” he added, “she will be able to reach out to the international community, and I am delighted to fight the fight with her.”

Clinton praised Wilson for “[standing up] to this administration and [holding] it accountable for the misinformation that led us into the Iraq war.”

“I’m so pleased that we share the goal of ending this war so that we can begin bringing our troops home safely,” the senator added.