Back in 2008, I was uncertain for a short period of time as to which of the principal candidates---Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama---I could support for the Democratic nomination.
It turned out there was one verifiable aspect of their political resumes that made my choice a rather easy one: their historical dispositions on foreign policy. All else equal---and they did seem to be fairly equal on economic and other issues---there was still the question of which one was more likely to keep us out of another stupid war?
What clinched my choice for Obama was his public opposition to the Iraq war at the same time that Hillary was supporting it.
Whatever else these two might have in common, it was clear that Barack Obama was not afraid to stand up courageously when the Republican/media/warhawk alliance was pushing for yet another foolhardy military mission abroad.
Hillary Clinton, in dramatic contrast, had never demonstrated such a ‘spine’ to the best of my knowledge.
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To be fair, it wasn’t simply that Barack had opposed the Iraq War at the same time Hillary was supporting it. After all, it takes more than a single vote to form your perception of a person.
But I also happened to know a few things back then about the ‘Third Way’ Centrist ideology that she and Bill had wrapped their identities around since the late 1980’s.
Once you understand where the Centrists are coming from with respect to foreign policy, you can put together a fair projection of how Hillary will behave when/if she gains the power to deploy America’s military might.
You see, the professional centrists of the Third Way have their own ideas re: what it takes to win elections against Republicans. Their most basic political instinct: to not give the Republicans anything they can use to demonize the Democratic nominee in the eyes of the electorate.
In other words, when it comes to certain issues, make sure that you sound just like the Republicans so they won’t have a reason to criticize you.
And so it is that one of the cornerstones of the Centrist political approach is to never, ever allow the Republicans to have an excuse to accuse you of being weak on America’s enemies.
It is indeed something that we can always expect to hear from a Centrist Democrat: tough talk and bellicose threats directed at whomever the Republicans have decided are America’s Enemies.
And yes, Hillary has always demonstrated that she has thoroughly internalized this Centrist article of faith.
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Eight years after choosing to support Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, I now have confirmation of the wisdom of my choice then.
Two of Barack Obama’s foreign policy achievements stand out above all others: the negotiated Iran agreement which avoided a boots on the ground war between the USA and Iran, and the normalization of diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba now underway.
Both of these were spectacular achievements that made me feel so glad that I had voted for the man.
At the same time, nothing has changed with respect to my FEAR of the prospect of Hillary Clinton serving as Commander-in-Chief. If anything, it’s gotten worse, now that we have her record as Secretary of State to review.
If you have doubts about the fears I am expressing, then do yourself a favor and read the NY Times article How Hillary Clinton Became A Hawk by Mark Landler which was published a few days ago. It will give you excruciating details re: Hillary’s eagerness as Secretary of State to sign on to almost any of the military interventions that have been advocated by the war hawk community.
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Now I get that I’m supposed to just wish for the best on this extraordinarily important matter and embrace the enthusiasm that Hillary’s most ardent fans are expressing for her, but I just don’t see how their Pie In The Sky optimism re: Hillary as Commander-in-Chief can diminish my fears of her fateful dispositions.
Either they share her hawkish views or they are willfully pretending to themselves that her demonstrated eagerness to send the troops into battle is some kind of mean-spirited misinterpretation of her actual dovish sentiments.
Please wake up, peace-loving Hillary fans! The choice for Hillary is not as safe as you have been led to believe...
I do fully expect that within the first six months of a Hillary Clinton Presidency, she will have committed the United States to some noble military mission (how she will describe it) abroad that will 1) ultimately cost the American people much in terms of treasure and lives and mutilated bodies, and 2) ultimately prove to have been a bad idea, due to unforeseen consequences.
I fear her decisions as Commander-In-Chief because I believe her fundamental political instincts will always push her into yet another performance as a ‘tough commander’ of America’s armed forces. I believe she is actually quite eager to demonstrate that a woman can pull the trigger.
In my humble opinion, her single biggest weakness on foreign policy is her fear of Republican criticism that she would bring into the Oval office with her when she acquires the title of Commander-In-Chief.
I rather expect that, because she is determined to give them nothing to criticize, she will become the most strident war hawk we have seen among Democrats in quite some time.
If you love your children, please stop this from happening...