National security stance seen adding to Clinton's image of strength

Another "step on the anthill" post...



Because she is a Democrat and the first serious female contender for the presidency in a time of war, convincing voters that she can be trusted with the nation's security is one of her biggest hurdles.

The New York senator seems to have won this trust, helping her jump to the front of the Democratic pack.

In several national polls and in Iowa, the first caucus state, she is the Democrat who most likely primary voters say is the "strongest leader," a term generally seen as encompassing defense know-how. And a New York Times/CBS News poll of Republicans as well as Democrats last month found that 58 percent of respondents thought it was somewhat or very likely that she would be an effective commander in chief.

Clinton came into the campaign with some advantages in foreign policy, including eight years of globe-hopping and meetings with world leaders as the wife of a president. But the extent to which she is seen among voters as a credible commander in chief has surprised many campaign observers, given how much other women in American politics have struggled to be taken seriously on military and foreign policy issues.

"It is amazing to many of us, in a year where being commander in chief is the most important issue, that the sole woman is actually the only one who has managed to come across as a strong commander in chief," said Elaine Kamarck, a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government who worked in the Clinton White House and advised Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, but has not decided whom to support in the 2008 race.

Added Daron Shaw, a political scientist at the University of Texas in Austin and a former campaign strategist for President Bush, "She's come off as credible and serious on national defense -- an issue that two years ago most of us would have thought would be a liability for her."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/12/tough_talk_drives_clinton_effort/

...to lock down the Amerikan security state. :puke:

Post-Cold War posturing will never go out of style.

But, in her defense :sarcasm:, it is the same stance as the DLC would have each and every one of their good little do-bees parrot.

She's the DLC Queen, and she's not afraid to show it.

TC

Kucinich is right about those that are so callous about the use of nuclear weapons.

"clue" about national security & defense.


Thanks for posting.

and not Hillary Clinton. In terms of dealing with terrorism, they are likely the best people who were involved with dealing with non-state terrorists in the Clinton administration. Gary Hart was a co-author of the Hart/Rudman report that the Bush administration ignored. Hart is now heading a new national security think tank.

I am reassured that the people Obama has chosen to work with on his issue are ones that I would trust. I also am appalled at the Clintons using Rovian techniques to create controversy by taking comments out of context or creating false strawmen (as they did with the issue of negotiating with leaders of Iran, Syria etc.)

Since, you know, we can't take them off the table with her.

Calling Obama naive for saying he'd meet with bad/evil men without preconditions, except she had said essentially the same thing in an earlier critique of Bush-Cheney.

Saying Obama was wrong to take nuclear weapons off the table, except she did the same thing regarding Iran is an earlier discussion re. Bush-Cheney's policies on said country.

Apparently, she'll say anything to milk a perceived short-term political opportunity, even if it is at odds with her record. Her national security street cred will vanish in the GE if she can't avoid these kinds of missteps.

Nice try to spin your BS off on Hillary. Get your story straight. Here's a link to refresh your memory!

http://www.hillaryis44.org/?p=199

:puke:

Is it a strength to attack other candidates positions while not coming up with your own?

Is it a strength to use your husband's presidency as part of your national security resume?

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I'd be embarrassed to be a Hillary supporter and post that she's strong on national security.