Hillary Clinton -- forceful but too modest
Hillary Clinton has responded pointedly and effectively to Barack Obama's claim that the four years he spent living overseas as a child provides him with "strong[] experience. . .in foreign relations." Though it will seem odd to many that Obama made such a silly claim is, this sort of fuzzy thinking is in the air that liberals breathe these days. It's part of the notion that the U.S. is too provincial and that if we spent more time abroad (even as kids, apparently), we'd be sufficiently sophisticated to avoid foreign policy error or, what some liberals take to be the same thing, offending foreigners. This is the sort of view one hears from C-SPAN callers on the Democratic line.
In any case, Clinton's response was powerful:
I have traveled the world on behalf of our country - first in the White House with my husband and now as a Senator. I’ve met with countless world leaders and know many of them personally. I went to Beijing in 1995 and stood up to the Chinese government on human rights and women’s rights. I have fought for our men and women in uniform to make sure they have the equipment they need in battle and are treated with dignity when they return home.I believe I have the right kind of experience to be the next President. With a war and a tough economy, we need a President ready on Day One to bring our troops home from Iraq and to handle all of our other tough challenges.
Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next President will face. I think we need a President with more experience than that. Someone the rest of the world knows, looks up to, and has confidence in. I don’t think this is the time for on the job training on our economy or on foreign policy.
I offer my credentials, my experience, and qualifications which I think uniquely equip me to be prepared to hit the ground running on Day One. And I offer the experience of being battle tested in the political wars here at home. For 15 years, I have been the object of the Republican attack machine and I’m still here.
Strong stuff, but too modest. Clinton omits her quality time with the Arafats.
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