Clinton: McCain And I Have Passed "Commander-In-Chief Threshold"

The Swamp:

In a Cabinet-style setting, surrounded by retired military leaders, Sen. Hillary Clinton said the public should ask whether Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama has met the criteria needed to become the nation's commander in chief.

"I think that since we now know Sen. (John) McCain will be the nominee for the Republican Party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it's imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold," the New York senator told reporters crowded into an infant's bedroom-sized hotel conference room in Washington.

"I believe that I've done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you'll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy," she said.

Read the whole story: The Swamp

Comments

[slc20]

If anyone had any doubt that Hillary cares not one whit for the democratic party, this should convince you.

[justwaitandsee]

So Hillary is endorses John McMain....Wow and she is probably trying to manipulate her supporters into voting for him also

[BadChristian]

"The Commander-In-Chief Threshold?"

Who makes this shit up?

It sounds like she is BEGGING someone to make a honeymoon joke about Bill, just so her suppoerters can scream "Sexist!"

[soot]

She thinks she is entitled to all of this, and damn anyone in her own party who might stop her.

[PackyJ]

Ok, all you Clinton supporters:

At what point do you finally get tired of Hillary endorsing John McCain?

Any real Democratic SHOULD be outraged.

Please... explain why you still support her.

Packy "Hussein" J

[gouge]

She's awful, zero class -will say ANYTHING! to win.

[research]

Hillary thinks Brain Dead McCain would be an acceptable president.

Hillary thinks the Iraq Invasion and occupation war crime is a "Gift" to the Iraqi people.

wow. I really really hope Obama wins the nomination.

[PrdAmerican]

This sultry love affair Clinton seems to be having with McCain can't be palpable for Catholics...a demographic she has enjoyed. My guess they will be seeking greener pastures than endorse a woman who keeps patting McCain on the back...a man who refuses to renounce and/or reject Hagee.

Keep up the good work Hill!

[griffon2k]

And Lanny Davis was just on Anderson Cooper arguing that Clinton supporters will vote for McCain if Obama's the nominee!

Are people not smart enough to see what's about the happen if Hillary's allowed to steal this from under Obama?

It'll be the perfect storm for Republicans....suppressed Democratic vote due to disenfranchised young voters, a motivated Conservative base hungry for more Clinton bashing, and Nader on the move crying out the same old "lesser of two evils" rhetoric.

Hillary's got to be knocked out of this for the future of the Democratic Party. Wyoming needs to go Obama....HARD.

I'm donating tonight....AND getting ready to start churning out strategy suggestions. This HAS to end.

[BadChristian]

Don't forget the urban votes that will leave the Party.
Rove and the Republicans have been courting us for years, and although we can't trust the Republicans...
Well...
Democrats don't even know we exist.
They think that the only people voting for Obama, the urban community organizer, are the youth vote.
Even though there isn't one population in the entire Party who has been more faithful, waiting in long lines, through caging lists, harassment campaigns, shorted on machines... You name it, the urban centers have been through it, and the Democratic Party has ignored us through out it all.

Urban residents should definitely leave the Democratic party if they ignore us this time... The Democrats would probably notice us then, when they were reduced to a little blue zero sandwiched between the rural and urban zones... Like little blue islands with the middle shot out.

[jkbowman]

So, Hillary Clinton has joined Joe Lieberman in talking up McCain.

Joe Lieberman lost his superdelegate status for that. Should Hillary be given a pass? If you find her actions unacceptable, please contact the Democratic Party.

http://www.democrats.org/contact.html

[supadindi]

Best analysis yet - from John Marshall at Talking Points Memo:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/181960.php


Warlord

I think Hillary Clinton is definitely qualified to be commender-in-chief of the US military. In fact, I think she'd make a strong one. She had a successful legal career. She participated in key decisions during the Clinton administration. And she's beginning her second term in the US senate. Her husband was qualified to be commander-in-chief too -- at 46 and having spent his whole political career in Little Rock.

But just what on earth is Hillary Clinton talking about when she says she's crossed the "commander in chief threshold" which John McCain has also crossed but Barack Obama hasn't?

There are two ways of looking at what's required for this aspect of the president's job. One school of thought has it that a potential president needn't be an expert on military affairs or foreign relations any more than he or she needs to be an experts in economics. They need to be informed and knowledgeable. But what's most needed is temperament, maturity and judgment. Detailed expertise can come from advisors.

Others think it's precisely the expertise that's needed. So someone like a Joe Biden is the kind of person you want -- someone who's deeply schooled in every aspect of foreign relations and has been at it for literally decades. John McCain has some of that and he was also career military which gives him, at least arguably, some special grasp of the military components of the job. Bill Richardson had at least some cred on that scale based on his time in the Congress, UN Ambassador and general ad hoc rogue regime diplomacy.

Hillary Clinton seems to think she's a strong contender in this latter category. But that's a joke. She's starting her second term in the US senate, where, yes, she serves on the Armed Services committee. Beside that she's never held elective office and she has little executive experience. I think she can argue that she'd make and would make a strong commander-in-chief. But she's pushing a metric by which she's little distinguishable from Barack Obama. I'm honestly surprised she's not drawing chuckles on this one.

A lot of people are seeing red that Hillary's so aggressively pushing the Republican nominee's credentials to be president. And I can see their point. But I'm more surprised that she's pushing an argument she doesn't need to make and frankly can't make credibly.

[kravitz]

Hillary certainly passed the 'commander in chief threshold.' She used to LIVE THERE. Did she fergit?

As for having what it takes to run the country, that would be a No.

[richard5]

I have grown to despise Hilary Clinton. A complete 180 for me. This woman just makes me physically ill. She will do anything to win. She fights dirty, and it's just a matter of time that she becomes covered in that same dirt she is throwing. Give it time.

[drblack]

What the hell does that even mean?!! commander and chief threshold? What babble.
So Hillary is saying she will continue with the Bush policy of WAR at any cost like McCain says he will?
G.W. Bush has LOTS of "Experience" at being President; should we put him back in office for life?

[Silpat]

I read an article on another website that speculated on the notion that Hillary wants McCain to be President over Obama. Hillary knows that she is in a no-win situation because in the end she will not have enough delegates to secure the nomination and the superdelegates will not destroy the Party in order to put her over the top. As a result, Hillary is waging a war of total destruction against Obama. Her thought is that McCain will win this go round and she will run again in 2012.

Makes sense because McCain will in all likelihood would serve only one term, where as Obama could end up serving two terms, thus making it less likely for an aging Hillary to ever become President.

I don't know if this theory is true, but if it is I like it because it means Hillary is working to help McCain win in the Fall. Go Johnny Go!!!