My reservations re: Hillary Clinton’s dispositions on foreign policy go back to 2008. They were indeed the key reason I ultimately chose to support Barack Obama in 2008.

But it wasn’t just the simple fact that Barack had opposed the Iraq War when Hillary was supporting it that finally made up my mind.  It takes more than a single vote to form your perception of a person.

It was also because I knew a few things about the ‘Third Way’ Centrist ideology that she and Bill had embraced since the late 1980’s.  

Once you understand where the Centrists are coming from with respect to foreign policy, you can project 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 idea of how to win elections against Republicans.  Their basic overall strategy is 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, become just like them so they won’t have a reason to criticize you.

This is why one of the most important cornerstones of the Centrist political philosophy is to never, ever allow the Republicans to have an excuse to accuse you of being weak on America’s enemies, which as we have learned, is something the Republicans will always try to do, no matter what.

We can see this motivation behind almost every one of the strident statements that Hillary has made on foreign policy issues  over the past couple of decades.

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The most recent example of this was her call for a No Fly Zone in Syria the day after Russian warplanes started bombing targets in Syria.

As we might recall from the first Persian Gulf War, a No Fly Zone is where you declare that you will shoot down any non-friendly aircraft discovered within the zone you’ve identified.

What purpose would this NFZ serve? Apparently to prevent the Russians from using their planes to support the current President of Syria.

When asked by a moderator at one of the debates if she would be willing to shoot down a Russian aircraft for violating the zone, she replied,

The no-fly zone, I would hope, would be also shared by Russia.

In other words, she hopes either: 

1. That the Russians would simply go along with our demand that they respect the NFZ we are setting up and ‘share’ our perception that it is legitimate restriction on their operational plans, or...
2. That the Russians will ‘share’ responsibility for enforcing the NFZ with us, shooting down Syrian planes if they violate the zone IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE ONLY REASON THEY ARE THERE IS TO SUPPORT THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT.

Of course, if such a reckless and inane proposal were actually put into action, and we ended up shooting down a Russian plane, it could quickly lead us to a nuclear war with Russia.  But at least we could tell ourselves that we had been ‘tough’ with the Russians when push came to shove.

Sure, calling for a NFZ to counter Russian influence in the region sounds ‘tough’ in a way that can deflect criticism from the Republicans, but it demonstrates anything but wise judgment in a dangerous world, where many American lives are at stake.

Such incredibly poor judgment on Hillary’s part has made me seriously doubt that she possesses the wisdom necessary to keep us out of unnecessary and costly wars.

Not because she doesn’t possess the native intelligence required to master the job, cuz that she surely does have.  Rather, she lacks the necessary wisdom because her judgment is crippled by this political ‘prime directive’ that constantly encourages her to posture herself as a ‘tough bitch’ Commander-In-Chief.

I am indeed truly frightened that, from her first day in office, she will be looking forward to her first opportunity to demonstrate that “a woman can pull the trigger.”

IMO, her single biggest weakness on foreign policy is her fear of Republican criticism that she would bring with her into the Oval office when she acquires the title of Commander-In-Chief.  

I’m afraid 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.

I see this same motivation behind all of the poor judgment she’s demonstrated and all of the wrong-headed ideas she’s come up with re: foreign policy during both her years in the Senate and her years as Secretary of State.

Does Hillary Clinton have experience?  Oh yeah, without a doubt.

But it has not been the kind of experience that gives me any comfort.

Has she demonstrated good judgment in forming her positions on foreign policy matters over the past couple of decades?

Not so much.

Which is precisely the reason why I do indeed fear Hillary Clinton