BY ALYSSA CARTEE

This week on Sunday talk shows, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the rounds to discuss the implications of Mommar Gaddafi’s death as well as Obama’s announcement to leave Iraq by the end of the year.

“This Week” host Christiane Amanpour started her interview with Clinton off with a little laugh at Herman Cain’s expense.

Amanpour: “Are you in Herman Cain’s famously designated Beki-beki-bekistan?”
Clinton:   “Well you know there’s a zero-zero-zero chance I’m going to comment on Republican politics but I am in Uzbekistan.”

On a more serious note, Clinton told CNN’s Candy Crowley while troops will leave Iraq, there will still be a U.S. presence.  

“He (Obama) has made it possible for our troops to leave as was promised by the end of this year, but leaving behind a training and support mission along with a very robust diplomatic presence also envisioned by the agreements reached back in the Bush administration.”

Clinton also warned that Iran filling the absence left by America would be a serious mistake on the country’s part.

“It’s also important to underscore Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the entire region, and all of our presence in many countries in the region.”

Senator John McCain says American troops could’ve stayed in Iraq.

“They were ready to negotiate.  The United States didn’t have a plan as to how many troops should remain behind.  How could we expect the Iraqis to sit down and agree?  Also, you don’t demand the way that our Secretary of Defense said, ‘what’s their plan?’ You sit down and negotiate.”

And Congresswoman and GOP hopeful Michele Bachmann told CBS’s “Face the Nation” Iraq should pay the U.S. back war costs for liberating their country.

“The problem is we put a lot of deposit into this situation with Iraq.  And to think that we are so disrespected and they have so little fear of the United States that there would be nothing that we would gain from this...FLASH I believe that Iraq should reimburse the United States fully for the amount of money that we have spent to liberate these people.  They are not a poor country.  They’re a wealthy country.”

“Meet the Press’s” David Gregory as Clinton if she still stands behind her vote for military involvement in Iraq.

Gregory: “Do you stand by your vote authorizing military force in Iraq as a Senator?”
Clinton:  “You know David, I honestly don’t think this is a time to be looking back.  It’s a time to be looking forward.”
FLASH
Gregory:  “Was the war worth it?”
Clinton:  “We’re going to have to wait a long time for the Iraqis themselves to answer that question. ...  But I’m proud that the United States has stood on the side of those fundamental freedoms that we hold dear.”

Clinton says she fully supports a full investigation on the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi’s death.  

“I would strongly support both a UN investigation that has been called for and the investigation that the Transitional National Council has said they will conduct.  You know, I think it’s important that this new government, this effort to have a new democratic Libya start with the rule of law, start with accountability, stand for unity and reconciliation.”  

Bachmann told “Fox News Sunday” we should be concerned with the long term implications of a regime change in Libya.

“This is a very bad decision and it’s created more instability in that region not less.  FLASH The world is better off without Gaddafi but consider what the cost will be.  We’re only looking at a snapshot today, the last chapter hasn’t been written on Libya. FLASH We also don’t know who the next regime will be that will be taking over Libya.  We knew who the devil was that running.  We don’t know the next one.”   

Senator Lindsey Graham agrees with Bachmann and suggests President Obama’s focus in on campaigning.  

“I would argue that Iraq and Afghanistan are being run out of Chicago not Washington in terms of decisions.  FLASH He ended Iraq poorly.  He fumbled the ball inside of the ten.  I hope I’m wrong about what happens in Iraq but they’re dancing in the streets in Tehran.”  

However, Clinton stands by the President and says his leadership has helped restore America’s international reputation.

“His kind of smart leadership in this complex world is paying off.  He was the one who brought Bin Laden finally down, he was the one who put together a coalition that eventually removed Gaddafi. So, I think it’s important that in this very complex, dangerous world, we have somebody in the White House who understands that America has to lead.  Our leadership is essential.”  

Libya’s temporary government formally announced their liberation and began to lay out the details of a new political process.