An adult runs for President
Mar 14, 2007 Orient, Politics and Poker
The New York Times reports that Senator Clinton acknowledges what any mature statesman must: Even if she were elected President, an immediate, complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq would be the wrong thing to do:
She said in the interview that there were “remaining vital national security interests in Iraq” that would require a continuing deployment of American troops.
The United States’ security would be undermined if parts of Iraq turned into a failed state “that serves as a petri dish for insurgents and Al Qaeda,” she said. “It is right in the heart of the oil region. It is directly in opposition to our interests, to the interests of regimes, to Israel’s interests.”
I’ve remarked before that Senator Clinton, notwithstanding how much is distasteful (okay, or worse) about her as a candidate, stands out in one important regard — and does so even despite her husband’s own weakness in the same department: She is often willing to spend political capital to act and sound like a leader. For someone seeking the Democratic nomination to make the admission above puts her head and shoulders above the rest of them, and presents a real potential problem for the GOP candidate on what should be the GOP candidate on what should be the Republicans’ strongest issue: The question of whether any Democrat can be trusted on foreign policy.
UPDATE: Tom McGuire rounds up, is unimpressed.
March 15th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Sounds like she’s gearing up to fulfill her role in the general elections as “Voter,” (As I predicted). The Lefties will not be amused.
March 15th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
That’s the neat thing. If indeed she is overplaying her hand — a distinct possibility — then it will be because of one or another national-level Ned Lamont as nominee.