Hillary Clinton went nuclear today, comparing Obama to George Bush based on experience.
"We've seen the tragic result of having a president who had neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security," Clinton said during a foreign policy address at George Washington University.
"We can't let that happen again. America has already taken that chance one time too many."
Since Clinton keeps bringing up the experience issue, let's look at history, and how much Washington experience various presidents have had. Here are some presidents without much elected experience, who probably would have been accused by Hillary Clinton of needing a manual on foreign policy:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, four years as governor of New York.
Abraham Lincoln, one term in the U. S. House of Representatives
Theodore Roosevelt, two years as Governor of New York, less than one year as Vice President before succeeding William McKinley who died in office.
Woodrow Wilson, two years as governor of New Jersey.
By contrast, Richard Nixon had 6 years in Congress and 8 years as Vice-President, roughly equivalent to Hillary Clinton's 8 years as First Lady and eight years as Senator.
22 comments:
We see Hillary now arguing from a position of weakness. It is very tough to rebound from where she is at. I think the Dems will soon unite around Obama as we move forward to November 08.
You leave out Ronald Reagan.
I don't agree with everything Reagan did, and had voted for Carter in the prior election.
But what Reagan did do is get us to pull our chins up and be proud to be Americans again. He understood the figurehead part of the role of President - how the mood and attitude of the President has a real effect on the confidence level of the everyday American.
I recognize that while he criticized 'tax and spend' politics, his own strategy was just 'spend'. But he spent the money on the military, in part because the Cold War was still very much alive and Carter had weakened us, but mostly because defense dollars get spent here in the US - in the shipyards and aircraft factories, and through the paychecks of the people in uniform.
The W unfortunately got it all wrong. By putting money directly in the hands of consumers, he's pumping up the economy of China and the rest of Asia - because that's were our consumer goods come from. He's just pissing it away...
Mr. Obama can find advisors with experience. I'm hoping he withstands the attempts to be manipulated.
But clearly, he of the four candidates, is the one who could be that inspiring figurehead. The excitement he has generated in the African-American community is one of the best things to happen in America politics (and his roots are not even via the slave experience which defines so much of African-American culture).
I could easily vote for a woman. Just not this one.
As I've said, I'll probably vote for Huck in the primary and Obama in the General.
Clinton said:
"We've seen the tragic result of having a president who had neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security," Clinton said during a foreign policy address at George Washington University.
"We can't let that happen again. America has already taken that chance one time too many."
Response:
Like...correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she vote for the Iraq war? Obviously she had a choice to decide against it. Obama voted against it based on the report he was handed in order to make a decision. Hillary obviously read it and didn't bother to look at the holes that Obama and a few others questioned. So, if Hillary was duped with "all" her "Foreign Policy Experience", what kinds of decisions will she make because she doesn't flag the troublesome passages in a report, or understand the "right" questions to ask. At the end of the day it isn't how smart a person thinks they are, it's knowing which questions to ask and what answers you're looking for.
As a woman, I believe in women holding power, even the ultimate power, but Hillary has proven time and again she can't hold up under pressure and gets shrill. I am not ready for a woman who sounds like a nagging spouse rather than a leader who we expect to lead our nation for the next 4 years. When we do put a woman in the White House, I want a role model of strength and poise which reflects true womanhood. Had Hillary's political disposition been more along the lines of Prime Minister's Benazir Bhutto and Margaret Thatcher I would be more inclined to take her a a serious contender for America's President.
Obama did not Vote against the war
He was not in the Senate till 05.
You always have to listen very carefully when Obama speaks
Obama has no experience and he has alot of young people followers loving the excitement of the rallies. They are not experienced either in what can happen if we do not get someone in office that can do more than make promises and draw a crowd. Like it or not folks Hillary has the experience ,the knowledge, the ability and mind set to move foward and not keep bring up and living in the past .The past is just that the past. Time to move forward and get this country out of the hole it is in ; bring the troops home and get a health care program in place for "all" the people . GO HILLARY you have what it takes to be a great president for all of the people.If God forgives people of their past sins so can we the people!!
"Obama did not Vote against the war
He was not in the Senate till 05.
You always have to listen very carefully when Obama speaks"
Response:
Let me correct my word "vote" and substitute "spoke".
Senator Obama was an Illinois Senator from 1997 until he resigned to take his current US Senator's seat in 2004. While still a State Legislator, Obama was privy to the report that was to be voted on in the US Senate by way of several of his close supporters, Danny Davis, Dick Durbin and others. Likewise in the House of Reps he had political allies. So, given these US Senators are elected by their State (in this case Illinois), they needed to make certain to identify those who'd back up their vote against the war and have those politicians speak to their constituents. Obama agreed that the war was ill conceived and on March of 2002 gave a rousing speech to citizens in Chicago to join in the opposition for the war.
On the other hand, Hillary had never held an elected office until 2000. Instead of going back to Arkansas or her home state of Illinois, she decided to live in NY for the year leading up to her campaign ensuring her eligibility. Why? Perhaps it was where the big business icons have the most favors to call in, who knows, looking ahead at the presidency and powerhouse Delegate head count, who knows---but whatever drove that train, Hillary arrived at her political station in 2000. Within 2 years (2002) the junior senator for NY, Hillary Clinton, voted on perhaps one of the most important votes she has had to make since her tenure there, the Iraq War. She voted in favor. She had ample opportunity to chat with other US Senior Senators who opposed it and perhaps changed her views, but she wasn’t listening---or worse---never bothered to ask. Given Hillary now regrets her decision, trillions of dollars later and thousands of US lives lost and or disabled for life, it gives pause that she may not have investigated the issue as thoroughly as the other US Senators who were opposed to it had.
As to Hillary's political experience over Obama's? Well, it seems ("You always have to listen very carefully when Clinton or her surrogates speaks") Hillary was a law partner with the very controversial Rose Law firm (most infamously known for "Whitewater"). Then, Bill gets elected Governor and it seems that from that moment on Hillary’s political seats were "appointed" never elected by the people. This pattern continued while being First Lady. Perhaps had Obama been granted a free ride and "appointed" to spearhead commissions and anointed political seats that are attained more by “who you know than what you know” he, too, could brag and embellish on having “more” political experience”, 35 years worth.
genicon I agree with you . Funny how people just take what Obama says as it is and keep on cheering about "change".
genicon I agree with you . Funny how people just take what Obama says as it is and keep on cheering about "change".
nora, can you give the people all of the back ground on Obama and his wife. If you are going to vote for him and want him to take charge of our country don't you think people should know him and her inside and out like they do the Clintons? The Clintons have had their bones picked; it is all just the some ole same ole being brought up over and over again.
"nora, can you give the people all of the back ground on Obama and his wife"
Response:
That is a very long answer so I will break it up by different entries. I start with Michelle's background.
Michelle Obama:
Princeton (cum laude)
Harvard Law School (JD) (specializing in marketing and intellectual law)
Assistant to Mayor Richard Daley (City of Chicago)
Assistant Commissioner Planning and Development (City of Chicago)
Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies
Associate Dean of Student Services (University of Chicago)
Executive Director for Community Affairs (University of Chicago Hospitals)
Vice President for Community and External Affairs (University of Chicago Hospitals) current position
Sidebar: for sports enthusiasts, Craig Robinson (Michelle’s brother, also a Princeton graduate) is ranked the 4th leading scorer in the history of Princeton University's Men’s Basketball. Craig Robinson currently is the coach of Brown University’s Men’s Basketball.
"nora, can you give the people all of the back ground on Obama and his wife"
Response:
Here is a glimpse at Barack's early, pre-elected office background:
Barack Obama:
Columbia U
After college, Obama moved to Chicago for a low-paying job as a community organizer. He worked with poor families on the South Side to get improvements in public housing, particularly the removal of asbestos.
He was a community organizer and led a voter-registration effort in Chicago that added tens of thousands of people to the rolls.
Obama also fought for student summer jobs and a program to keep at-risk children from dropping out of school. More importantly, say those who worked with Obama, he showed people how to organize and confront powerful interests. "He had to train residents to stand up for their own rights," said former organizer Loretta Augustine-Herron, who was part of Obama's Developing Communities Project.
Harvard Law School (JD) (specializing in Constitutional Law)
He was a Civil Rights Attorney
He was a University of Chicago Law School Lecturer on Constitutional Law until 2004, the time of his US Senate win.
"nora, can you give the people all of the back ground on Obama and his wife."
Response:
Post Illinois State Senate 1996-2004
Obama was elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996, when Democrats were in the minority. He proposed hundreds of new laws, including universal health care, tougher gun control and expanded welfare, but saw most of them spiked by Republican leadership. An obstacle he has dedicated his political career to working on to “change” those dynamics and lopsided partisanship. Partisanship that does not get bills passed. Bills which is supposed to represent and serve the entire constituent population
In the Illinois State Senate , Obama sponsored 823 bills.
He helped pass complicated measures in the Illinois legislature on the death penalty, racial profiling, health care and more.
As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised
He is working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.
Obama was highly successful to pass legislation that sharply restricted the gifts that Illinois politicians could accept from lobbyists. Illinois has historically been notoriously weak with their government ethics laws, and the Gift Ban Act was the first major new restriction since the Watergate era.
Obama helped set up Illinois' "KidCare" program that provides health care to children in families that do not qualify for Medicaid.
When Democrats gained a majority in the Senate, Obama's political mentor, Senate President Emil Jones, gave him high-profile assignments, including two contentious issues involving police — videotaped interrogations and racial profiling. Police weren't happy about recording their interrogations of murder suspects or having to study racial bias in traffic stops. Initially, they opposed both pieces of legislation.
But Obama made clear that something was going to pass with or without their support. Ultimately, police groups endorsed both bills and they won unanimous approval in the Senate.
"nora, can you give the people all of the back ground on Obama and his wife"
Post US Senate (2004-current)
State Senator Obama is elected US Senator 2004
Obama continues his philosophy of working across the political aisle to get bills passed. He was often willing to give up credit for the legislation if that helped win Republican support.
Obama is working on revising America's economy and security from our addiction to oil. His record reflects his working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.
Obama shared billing with Republican presidential hopeful, Arizona Sen. John McCain, in sponsoring legislation that called for sharp, mandatory cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately the effort failed.
Obama has traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world.
Obama has supported and continues to support raising the minimum wage to meet the cost of leaving. He proposes to keep it balanced with the cost of living and not to just be revisited every 10 years.
Obama has supported the idea that 20% of US energy needs to be met by renewable resources by 2020.
Obama has worked with Republicans on nuclear proliferation, government waste and global warming, amassing a record that is quite impressive for the few years he has held his US Senate seat.
Obama teamed with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., to study the dangers of nuclear proliferation and pass legislation meant to keep nuclear material from falling into the hands of terrorists.
Obama believes in driving “certificates” to illegals. Hillary does not. However, such a certificate is for “our” protection, not an unearned privilege we are giving away. Currently, if an illegal who has no license or insurance causes an accident and flees the scene, there is no way to hold them responsible. We now have hundreds of thousands of cases like this. The driving certificates are not "Driver Licenses", they would look different and not have any privileges other than to drive and purchase insurance. Such an initiative would not only add to our economy, but hold drivers without insurance to the same penalties American citizens are subjected to.
Obama believes in securing the borders by more border patrol and better technology and require employers to verify employees immigration status.
Obama supports the Dream Act (dreamact.info/) where "all" children receive an education regardless of their legal status. It passed in Illinois. Obama believes that we should be a nation where everyone is educated and not where we live on a two-tier system. Statistics show that most of our prisons house illiterate inmates. It is proven that illiteracy is the first step to a life of crime.
Obama joined with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., after Hurricane Katrina to improve oversight of federal spending.
"If you are going to vote for him and want him to take charge of our country don't you think people should know him and her inside and out like they do the Clintons? "
Response:
Why I am voting for Obama instead of the Clinton(s)?
Obama thinks outside of the box on many issues (Hillary promises the same ole same ole that continues to stifle and suffocate the creative class and stimulate the democratic process. During the Clinton years, what really changed the spirit, the movement of everyday folks getting involved in their environment and understanding what “change” could really look like. Enough to motivate the kind of voting wave we have witnessed during this electoral process. If we look at the Black Leaders who support Clinton, they are mainly from the old “Negro” guard as they are known within the intellectual Black Boomers. Most of our generation have felt they need to have hung up their dated mentality a long time ago--i.e. Julian Bond, Andrew Young and so forth. These are the same characters that have made a living on verbiage and very little on substance. In the last 30 years, what have most of those old Black dinosaurs done to help the Black illiteracy rate that has been on the rise. What have the Black dinosaur supporters of Hillary done to work on the disproportionate African American inmates being institutionalized instead of increasing programs that can be early interventions “before” these potential criminals reach the point of incarceration. I haven’t seen one truly effective Black leader backing Hillary that is actually making progress for Black people. But what is more troublesome is that these ineffective, out-dated Black leaders are the very people Hillary would depend upon, consult with and continue to keep them inflated taking up scarce space that could be used for serious “change” and energetic “thinking outside of the box” initiatives.
Thinking Outside of the Box, Obama proposes a $4000 scholarship to every student, per year, to go to college if they meet the financial need. However, for that money, a student must volunteer a certain amount of regular hours in some type of community service work which helps the economic deficit in their communities.
Thinking Outside f the Box, Obama believes the president of the US needs to meet not only with our friends, but with our enemies to begin the democratic process and find peaceable solutions to our differences. Minorities (of which I am a cultural member) have a built-in barometer that deflects “being told” “having to first prove our worthiness” before being included in the process. We’d prefer to meet as equals, and then define our differences and political deficits. It is not how much we disagree, but where we can find a place to begin to build from.
Perhaps one of the most encouraging things about Obama's political flexibility vs The Clintons political rigidity, is Obama's famous “olive-branch” he often extends across both sides of the political aisle without using “arrows” to ensure those branches are accepted.
What many Americans fail to understand is that no matter how sound a political figure has made their proposed legislation, if they can not get along with their peers and or are able to sincerely work both political sides of the aisle, nothing will pass. Thus far, both Clintons have been openly resistant to working with Republicans across the political board, and the majority of the Republican Party does not Bill or Hillary very much from their “many” years of political interacting with them. So if Hillary does get the nomination, we may see ourselves looking at dated programs, influenced by dated minority leaders, and very few of the proposed ideas she has voiced that seem encouraging---reaching a passing bill that will ensure “change” from our current conditions.
Now--I must bid you bloggers farewell--have a great discussion!
Nora if you know all that about Obama why did you say he voted against the war?
Is it o.k. to shade the truth in your passion for The the man of change, change you can believe in, change he can take to the bank.
Anonymous said:
"Nora if you know all that about Obama why did you say he voted against the war?"
Response:
Dear Anonymous,
I can see we are headed into "Silly Season" with a Hillary-ism. I believe I corrected that language having written the rebuttal in haste.
Prior Entry:
>>"...Let me correct my word "vote" and substitute "spoke"..."<<
If you read through my other entries, you will find typos and grammatical errors as well. Given this is a blog, supposedly to dialogue through an "intelligent" exchange of ideas---I would have thought you'd appreciate being answered when it now seems apparent you probably already knew most of the answers to begin with, but just enjoy verbal sparing. I'm not into that form of political entertainment. Sorry.
oops! there goes another typo Mr. Anonymous-
I meant to type "sparring", instead typed "sparing"
The corrected entry should have read:
"...I would have thought you'd appreciate being answered when it now seems apparent you probably already knew most of the answers to begin with, but just enjoy verbal "sparring". I'm not into that form of political entertainment. Sorry."
Its not verbal sparring I'm interested in, what I am calling you on is your willingness to shade the truth or tell an outright falsehood in your zeal for your chosen candidate. Yes everybody does it to get their wonderful candidate elected. That doesn't make it right.
I'm not a Hillary fan either
Whoa. give it a rest already.
BTW, What do I call you
"Anonymous" or "genicon" or "Cybil"?, I guess you may want to go back and debate with "yourselves" again. If you, whichever the "you" you want to pen your thoughts under, want to go back to serious political comments, beyond the one you seem to be stuck in reverse on, this has post has become boring. Adios!
"genicon said...
Obama did not Vote against the war
He was not in the Senate till 05.
You always have to listen very carefully when Obama speaks"
"anonymous said...
genicon I agree with you . Funny how people just take what Obama says as it is and keep on cheering about "change"."
"anonymous said...
nora, can you give the people all of the back ground on Obama and his wife. If you are going to vote for him and want him to take charge of our country don't you think people should know him and her inside and out like they do the Clintons? The Clintons have had their bones picked; it is all just the some ole same ole being brought up over and over again."
" anonymous said...
Nora if you know all that about Obama why did you say he voted against the war?
Is it o.k. to shade the truth in your passion for The the man of change, change you can believe in, change he can take to the bank."
" genicon said...
Its not verbal sparring I'm interested in, what I am calling you on is your willingness to shade the truth or tell an outright falsehood in your zeal for your chosen candidate. Yes everybody does it to get their wonderful candidate elected. That doesn't make it right.
I'm not a Hillary fan either"
Nora One of my posts came out as anonomous. The one that begins
" If you know all that about Obama"
pardon me
After the paid oratory excitement dies out, and it will turn to excrement, there is not a shred of substantive reality that Obama would know what to do as a President. Yes is fun being young and excited, but it takes much more to carry the Presidency, and he is just plain not ready. I have to laugh when he purses his lips like a 4 yr old when he hears something he doesn't like. Its all hype and the Oprah Money Machine that is forging this surge. But surges are not always such a success. Its funny to know that Americans do exactly what Oprah tells them to do. 52 million people Voted for George Bush for a 2nd Term. A British newspaper reported the day after the election : How could 52 million people be so stupid".
History is repeating itself again with Obama. Such as shame that you are handing the election back to the Republicans, yet again.
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