Former White House Aides: Clinton Overstates Foreign Policy Role

McClatchy Newspapers:

Sen. Hillary Clinton claims that her experience in dealing with foreign affairs qualifies her to handle a crisis call at 3 a.m. and be commander in chief.

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign accuses Clinton of exaggerating her foreign affairs experience. It says that nothing in her background shows that she's more prepared to handle an international crisis than he is.

No question is more central just now to their rivalry for the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton has said that Obama hasn't passed the "commander-in-chief test," but that both she and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain have.

To bolster the claim, she's trumpeted her role as first lady in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, helping to open Macedonia's borders to Kosovo refugees and challenging China on women's rights, all as proof that she has what it takes to manage a foreign crisis.

Yet while it's impossible to know how much she conferred privately about such matters with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, when he was in power, public records and interviews with former Clinton administration officials and others strongly suggest that Clinton overstates her role.

Leon Panetta, Bill Clinton's White House chief of staff, and Sandy Berger, Bill Clinton's national security adviser, both said that Hillary Clinton wasn't privy to the president's daily intelligence brief, nor did she sit in on National Security Council meetings.

It's unclear whether Clinton had a national security clearance when she was first lady. Several former top-level Clinton White House officials couldn't recall, and a Clinton campaign spokesman didn't respond when asked on Tuesday.

Keep reading.

Read the whole story: McClatchy Newspapers

Comments

[STRONG]

HILLARY'S EXPERIENCE IS THAT OF A "KEYHOLE VOYEUER". EXAMPLE:

TH BOTTOM OF THE 9TH INNING. RED SOX AT YANKS. 7TH GAME OF THE WORLD SERIES. YANKS WINNING 1-0. BASES ARE LOADED FOR THE SOX. 2 OUTS. THE COUNT ON MANNY RAMIREZ IS 3-2. THERE ARE NO MORE RELIEF PITCHERS ON THE YANKEE BENCH; JUST A COUPLE OF UTILITY INFIELDERS. THE STADIUM PA ANNOUNCES. "..LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. WE HAVE A CRISIS. THE YANKEE MANAGER AND HIS ENTIRE STAFF HAVE BEEN SUDDENLY STRICKEN WITH FOOD POISONING. THEY'RE ALL ON THEIR WAY TO THE HOSPITAL. BUT NOT TO WORRY. THE MANAGER'S WIFE IS TAKING OVER."

[KDH]

More blatantly false Obama propaganda, as evidenced by the following:

"Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams told The Irish Times that, although he admires all three remaining US presidential candidates and is not endorsing any of them, Mrs. Clinton is justified in claiming a role in the peace process. "David Trimble is reported as saying Senator Hillary Clinton played no part in the Irish peace process. That is not true. Senator Clinton played an important role in the peace process," he said. "I met the senator on many occasions when she was First Lady, and subsequently when she became a senator for New York State. I always found her to be extremely well informed on the issues."

Craig and Trimble should be asked to resign from the Obama campaign immediately. Obama has said he wont tolerate lies from his campaign staff. Come on Obama, are you going to back up that talk with action, or is that all you're about? All talk and no action.

[borderorder]

That's not evidence, that's whining. Hillary, rebuke Ferraro.

[soylentgreenleftovers]

You mean Hillary's a resume-padder, too?

Next message point from the Hillary campaign: "I'm a people-person!"

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

OMG an unmoderated thread!

[standforpeace]

Duh!! The only shocking thing about this revelation is that millions of Americans evidently couldn't figure this out on their own. The only thing about that 3 am ad that may be remotely accurate is the depiction of Hillary as someone who picks up the phone at 3 am wearing her pants suit ( maybe she wears pants suit pajammas or else plans to put her 3 am caller on hold until she's fully dressed).

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

She's working 24/7 for Americans

[lisakaz]

Forget the aides. How about David Trimble, one of the parties to the Irish Agreement. He called HRC's claims "silly."

[Felicty]

Overstating - the new LYING.

[nohat]

Here it is, Spitzer is resigning, live, on CNN.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

At least Spitzer has enough shame to resign. I hope Larry Craig and David Vitter are watching.

[Superbus]

Craig and Vitter did not commit felonies.

[Superbus]

Indictment to follow.

[nohat]

You sure? I heard this morning that generally when someone in a position like his agrees to resign, indictment does not follow. A kind of deal

[Superbus]

Just last week, Barack Obama was running against John McCain. Now he seems to be back running against Hillary Clinton supporters. Why? Hillary can't win unless she changes the rules. If she does, it will end democrat rule for decades to come.

We Republicans are sitting back watching this needless bloodletting in the democratc party due to a candidate who does't have a snow ball's chance of hell in garnering the nomination and her bitter 60's hangers on trashing Obama.

Obama would do better to concentrate on McCain, his real opponent.

[nohat]

Not yet. Hillary is still breathing. Never ignore a Clinton who is still breathing.

[Superbus]

I can guarantee this. If Hillary is the democrat nominee, blacks will walk away from democrats in the same numbers as they did in 1964 when Barry Goldwater made such a big deal out of being against civil rights legislation and they walked away from Republicans.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

McCain can wait. I'm sure he is in to hurry to get steam rolled by Obama.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

Republican troll rules

1. All knowledge is a liberal conspiracy

2. Education is bad. Math and science are topics that have a liberal agenda.

3. Facts are just liberal talking points

4. Talk radio hosts are not part of the MSM

5. Rush Limbaugh is not a drug addict, he just has a "problem".

6. Sean Hannity is the greatest American alive, greater than George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abe Lincoln.

7. Patriotism is the measure of how big and heavy your flag pin is.

8. All Democrats are liberals

9. All liberals are democrats.

10. All muslims are terrorists

11. All terrorists are muslims

12. Republicans who cheat on their wives are men who have strayed from "God"

13. Democrats who cheat on their wives deserve the death penalty

14. Always use "God" to promote your blood lust

15. Hate speech made by the likes of Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin etc is humor.

[HumeSkeptic]

The majority of old women are voting for Hillary.
The majority ob Blacks are votinng for Obama.
The majority of utterly depraved voted for McCain.

And, there is not a thing wrong with that.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

But Hume, the Blacks are so dumb that they are only voting for Obama because he is Black. There is no reason to believe that Blacks are able to make an informed decision about anything.

[HumeSkeptic]

That's the line, i know. And yet, if you look at the past voting patterns of Blacks, they have proven to be the most logical voting block than any other. What, about 2% voted for Bush? That tells you who the smart voters are.

[nohat]

Kev, answer my question, please. Why is the party letting Hillary run so amok that blacks are being alienated left, right, and center? Are Pelosi and Dean daft? How long will they wait? Until the party
becomes a train wreck? And don't say not to worry. What I have read and seen and heard today tells me that Ferraro has really gone and done it. Add what she did to all the other gaffes to do with race, not to mention the intentional things, and there is big trouble.
One more thing. Whatever any of you may think of Andrew Sullivan, and you don't think much, he said some true things in that article that was here the other day. Things many others have said, for years and years.
It is widely believed that the Clintons are ruthless, destructive, and even self-destructive. That they love a crisis, love a cliffhanger, love a fight. What if they don't give a damn about the blacks, the whites, the party or even the country? They are behaving as if they don't care about anything but themselves.
Worse, they will go after anyone they feel has betrayed them. In a word, and given what has transpired thus far, what some have said seems true: if they go down, they will take all else with them. All these things are intensified by their sense of entitlement.
Fine, but for the party to allow this couple to shame it before the whole world, is insane.
Will the blacks forget these insults? Why would they? Would we?

[Superbus]

By spending too much time on these assinine statements by paternalistic liberals, democrats run the risk of turning their nominee, Barack Obama into a "black candidate" in the mold of a Je$$e Jack$on, instead of the fresh new face with fresh new ideas, his real appeal.

The Clinton's and their supporters are looking more and more like angry hippies whose time has passed them by.

If Obama allows the Clintonistas to define him, he will pay for it in November.

Obviously, Hillary has no chance to win and I wonder if she understands the damage her surrogates are causing.

[HumeSkeptic]

Obama is not allowing "Clintonistas to define him". That's what this whole back and forth is about, Genius.

Why do you insist on being stupid, Superbus?

[thegreatgiginthesky]

He can't help it. It is the way mother nature made him.

[nohat]

That's one who seems to agree with me.

Oh my God, I get it now.
Hey everyone, don't you see?
The "Obama is inexperienced" thing didn't work. Bill knew it wasn't working, hence the Jesse Jackson crap, way back then.
What now?
The race thing. THAT should work.
Hillary used the inexperience thing like a stick on a horse, for months and months,until she realized that the horse was dead.
That horse is dead,
that dog won't hunt,
oh, but THIS one will!
And she is right.

[Kampala]

Hillary Clinton did indeed travel a lot when she was First Lady, but that was eight years ago. By the time our next president is sworn in, most of the United States' key partners will have changed government, including but not limited to China, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, France, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Liberia, the Philippines, Pakistan and the Vatican. That's just about everybody, isn't it?

The few world leaders who remember her as first lady would all begin the 3:00 AM phone call with, "Hello, Mrs Clinton. How's Bill?"

She is exaggerating the importance of her contacts..­.

[Horst]

Good point...bu­t if Sinbad and Cheryl Crow are in her cabinet...­.or get ambassadorial appointmen­ts...there will be no problems.

[HumeSkeptic]

I also travel a lot. In fact, I counted and found out that I have travelled to 7 more countries than Hillary has. Does that mean I qualify to be President?

What did Hillary do in each one of those trips?

She can demonstrate her accomplishments quite easily by releasing the White House records. Easy. Without that proof, what she claims has no meaning.

[McCanMcSane]

The Obama campaign had been brilliant in not using race as an issue. Look at Iowa. Now it has descended into the same profile as the Jesse Jackson and Sharpton campaigns. Obama should have listened to Oprah and less to this Susan Rice. Oprah is not quick to play the race card like Susan Rice has. Unfortunately white people who voted for Obama in the primaries will now look to McCain. They are saddened when they see black superdelegates shifting to Obama because he is black. How many of you white liberals who claim you are not racist have done more than the Clintons for Civil Rights? And yet you call them racists. Some of you don't want to admit it but it is clear.

[EvoMan]

Facts seem to bounce off your thick skull. Clinton brought up race. Obama didn't. I'll ask again. What would you do if you were him?

[thegreatgiginthesky]

The spot where his brain is supposed to be is hollow. Its just one large eco chamber.

[HumeSkeptic]

The Obama campaign had been brilliant in not using race as an issue.
----------
And they still don't use race as an issue. Ferraro brought that up. And Bill Clinton brought that up before that. As far as I know, both those are in the Hillary camp.

On HuffPost, it is you and that stupid side-kick of youurs called Superbus who are trying to make race an issue, Fortunately, you are both incredibly stupid, and unable to put togther a cogent argument.