Hillary Clinton remains popular for her time as secretary of state, viewed apart from Obama

Hillary Clinton remains popular for her time as secretary of state, viewed apart from Obama

By David Nakamura and Scott Clement at the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hillary-clinton-remains-popular-for-her-time-as-secretary-of-state-viewed-apart-from-obama/2014/06/07/4bad6e62-ea61-11e3-b98c-72cef4a00499_story.html

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Clinton left office 1 1 / 2 years ago as the most popular outgoing secretary in recent memory, and 59 percent of the public still approve of her tenure, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll this month. That dipped from 68 percent in late 2012, but 67 percent call her a strong leader in the most recent survey.

The findings suggest the public is willing to view Clinton’s term separately from Obama as she attempts to define her legacy with the release on Tuesday of “Hard Choices,” a reflection on her four years overseeing the State Department. The poll found just 41 percent approve of Obama’s handling of foreign policy, an all-time low for the president.

In the book, she carefully draws distinctions between herself and her former boss on a number of international crises that remain unresolved, most notably her push to arm and train Syrian rebel fighters, which was overruled by Obama, according to a copy obtained Saturday by The Washington Post.

Clinton also strikes stronger notes of criticism than Obama toward Russian President Vladi­mir Putin and touches on the risks of dealing with the Taliban to win the release of American soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Obama’s decision to trade five Taliban prisoners for Bergdahl last week earned him condemnation from many Republicans.




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