Hillary's Experience - It's Not Secret

It's three in the morning. America's children are sleeping soundly. A phone rings in the president's bedroom. The situation room reports a crisis. The president begins to ask questions but suddenly pauses and says "Dear, I have to leave the room, you are not cleared to hear this."

It's three in the afternoon. America's children are in school. A team from the CIA and the State Department are preparing to brief the First Lady before her upcoming overseas trip. State asks CIA if they can tell the First Lady about a new medical condition of the head of state of the country to which she is traveling. He responds "no, she does not have the required clearances."

Senator Clinton has based her claim to be a stronger nominee than Senator Barack Obama on he "thirty-five years of experience" and blithely conflates that to her national security experience. The facts tell a different story. Before she was elected to the Senate, she had no direct experience dealing with any national security issues because she had no security clearances. She did not have a secret or top secret clearance. She certainly did not have access to higher compartmentalized programs. She could not read the president's Daily Brief or sit in on a meeting in the Cabinet or situation room where classified topics were discussed. In short, during her eight years as First Lady she had no serious national security role or exposure to critical national security issues beyond what she learned from the media. Perhaps one of the reasons that the Clintons have been reluctant to release the documents showing Mrs. Clinton's role in her husband's administrations is that they would show that she played no substantive national security role in those administrations.

Senator Clinton's thirty-five years of experience is, in fact, not national security experience. Only during her last seven years in the Senate has she had a security clearance as a member of the Armed Services Committee and even here she does not have access to the most sensitive intelligence. Nor does she seem to show a curiosity to dig into the details of intelligence analysis as was shown when she did not read the critical national intelligence estimate (NIE) on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in the fall of 2002. She delegated that task to her staff that then gave her an overview, a summary on which she based her vote to authorize President Bush to use force in Iraq. Other Senate Democrats read the report, footnotes and all, and voted against the authorization. Had Senator Clinton had the experience she claims, she might have done the same.

There is no doubt that as First Lady Mrs. Clinton traveled the world and met many foreign leaders. But most of the leaders of our major allies and neighbors have changed from that time -- France, Germany, Japan, China, Mexico, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom to name a few. And however pleasantly social her visits may have been, she was not equipped with the classified information to engage in substantive security discussions.

Senator Clinton has recently touted her "lifetime of experience: rather than just thirty-five years as able to match the lifetime of experience of Sen. John McCain. (Doesn't everyone have a lifetime of experience?) If she gets the nomination and tries to run on her national security experience as compared to Senator McCain, her representations will be shown to be hollow and the person answering the phone in 2009 will be Senator McCain.

Comments

[seejake]

Here's a question no one is asking, but should be: If Bill DID share state secrets with Hillary when she did not have a security clearance, wouldn't he be guilty of high crimes against the state?

As a former holder of a Top secret SCI clearance (one of the highest), I know that spouses are not included automatically. There are no "two for the price of one" security clearances. As I understand it, the only way Bill could have shared any secret intel with Hillary is if he used his executive authority to declassify it. But then, we would all be privy to that intel.

[ELEMCIVS]

KOSOVO:
At a second outpost, Camp Bedrock, Mrs. Clinton visited a M.A.S.H. unit, the only full-service U.S. Army hospital in Bosnia. The three-hour tour of the frontlines of the international peacekeeping mission were filled with the gritty reality of a military operation, a far cry from traditional first lady photo opportunities, and Mrs. Clinton seemed more than comfortable with that. [CNN, 3/25/99]

BOSNIA
Hillary met with the Macedonian President and Prime Minister offering an economic development package. (Hillary) "Clinton heard her story Friday morning on her trip to Macedonia, which was aimed at highlighting the plight of ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo and assuring the poor Balkan nation that the United States understands the stress the influx has placed on it. Aid officials say Macedonia has taken about 233,000 of the nearly 800,000 refugees. Clinton met with Macedonian President Kiro Gligorov and Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski. She announced the release of the first $ 2 million in a $ 21 million economic development package for Macedonia that is designed to help the fledgling democracy create new small businesses." [Chicago Tribune, 5/16/99]
Hillary met with Macedonian officials 'trying to diffuse any anti-American sentiment and to bolster Macedonia's fragile coalition government. "Hillary Rodham Clinton swept through Macedonia on Friday on a visit that illustrated the Clinton administration's continuing struggle to balance the diverse strands of its Kosovo policy¦Ethnic Macedonians, who make up roughly two-thirds of this country's population, generally oppose NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia. They also fear that if ethnic Albanians -- who made up roughly one-third of Macedonia's population before the crisis -- continue to pour in from Kosovo, Macedonians will be reduced to a minority in their own country. So although Clinton spent the morning addressing the suffering of the refugees, she spent the rest of the day trying to defuse any anti-American sentiment and to bolster Macedonia's fragile coalition government, a mix of Macedonian and Albanian parties." [Austin American-Statesman, 5/15/99]
The Washington Post: "First Lady Brings Publicity, Aid to Macedonia:" First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first high-ranking American to visit here since the Kosovo crisis began, brought two messages to Macedonia today. Touring a refugee camp of 18,000 people, Clinton urged Americans not to become "immune" to the plight of more than 740,000 Kosovo Albanians expelled from their homeland since NATO began its air war against Yugoslavia on March 24. "We are trying to do everything possible to make these lives and stories real, not to let them fade into the background," she said¦ And she soothed the irritated government of Macedonia, which has taken in the refugees only reluctantly and at the price of more foreign aid. Clinton today added another $ 2 million to the pot -- the first installment of a $ 21 million reallocation of funds for Macedonia¦ Even as Clinton toured the camp, a few refugees were entering Macedonia from Kosovo. For 10 days, almost no one has crossed the frontier -- initially because Macedonian border guards were blocking refugees, then because Serbian authorities were not allowing them to leave¦ After her camp tour, Clinton met with Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, parliamentary president Savo Klimovski and local aid officials, and her message could not have been more straightforward: "I want to clearly express our appreciation to the government of Macedonia for the efforts they have made. It has been an incredible burden on Macedonia." [Washington Post, 5/15/99]


IRELAND
2007: Hillary honored for her work on the Northern Ireland Peace process. Irish American Magazine named Hillary "Person of the Year", celebrating "her work on the Northern Ireland peace process". [Irish American Magazine, April/May 07]
2007: Hillary met with Irish leaders who wanted to 'pay their respects to Hillary' for her work on behalf of peace in Northern Ireland. Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley recently traveled to Washington on behalf of the fledging Northern Ireland government, and they specifically requested two personal meetings: one with President George W. Bush and one with Senator Hillary Clinton. They wanted to "pay their respects to Hillary" for her long and varied role in promoting and working for peace in Northern Ireland. [Guardian, December 8, 2007]. As McGuinness put it, "these are wonderfully exciting times for all of us back home, not least because of the contributions made by President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton." [AP, December 7, 2007].
1999: Northern Ireland Secretary: "Hillary is one of the essential reasons" Ireland had peace. An August 1999 issue of Talk Magazine quotes Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam: "Hillary is one of the essential reasons we've had 18 months of relative peace. Without her we would have no economic boom."
1999: Hillary made frequent trips to Northern Ireland where she was 'not just in the humdrum affairs of state¦but in the nitty gritty of the political scene' "A few years back the notion of an American First Lady speaking out on any aspect of life in Northern Ireland would have been taboo. Now it is accepted that not just this First Lady but also her husband make frequent trips to the North, and that they become involved not just in the humdrum affairs of state such as opening a new training center or mouthing niceties at a conference, but in the nitty gritty of the political scene too." [Irish Voice, May 25, 1999]

[ATLiberal]

These are nice, but the recent interviews of the actual participants in these negotiations paint a much different picture than these rah rah MSM spoon fed reports.

[DennyCrane]

If the press was really biased against Hillary Clinton like she claims, they would've debunked her claim of 35 years of experience a long time ago. The fact that they've let this claim go uncontested for so long shows just how lazy/incompetent/corporate they really are. These days, if you say something enough times and no one challenges you on it, people start to accept it as fact. Many of Hillary Clinton's own supporters actually believe she has 35 years of experience. Obama supporters will be the first to admit he doesn't have a lot of experience. It's rare to see Clinton supporters admit her shortcomings. And as if 35 years wasn't enough, now she has to say she has a lifetime of experience. Was she helping to bring about change when she was a toddler? And like you said, who doesn't have a lifetime of experience? The issue is RELEVANT experience. I could have 35 years of experience as an accountant. But what it I'm applying to be a criminal attorney?

[ifreez]

So many things come out a weird times. Like Clinton pressing the press to reopen Obama's ties to Resko -- THE NIGHT BEFORE A PRIMARY. But, this was requested after the story has been covered 254 time over the past 18 months, and it could come up again. The media is weird. For example, they haven't pick up that last week, one of Clinton's campaign advisors pleaded guilty to Fraud, or that Clinton pardoned known terrorists in New York, and tried to keep the records sealed. The media picks up what they will at weird times

[JavaCityGal]

Hillary's foreign policy "experience" charade is so over. Even Hillary supporters don't tout this anymore like they used to. And when the lone person does talk about her experience, and you press them for details, they can't answer and just slink away. A lot of presidents have been sworn into office and done darn good jobs without a ton of experience before taking office. But Hillary has made that the central piece of her campaign -- which is just plain stupid. Did she think that no one would ask the obvious? Hillary has made a central theme of her campaign based on a huge lie that she's feed to the American people. If that isn't untrustworthy, then what is?

[bish66]

Statement from John Hume former MP MEP, founder of the SDLP and an architect of the Good Friday Agreement. He is the only person to win the Nobel Prize for Peace, the Ghandi Peace Award and the Martin Luther King Peace Prize.

"I am quite surprised that anyone would suggest that Hillary Clinton did not perform important foreign policy work as First Lady. I can state from firsthand experience that she played a positive role for over a decade in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

She visited Northern Ireland, met with very many people and gave very decisive support to the peace process. There is no doubt that the people of Northern Ireland think very positively of Hillary Clinton"s support for our peace process, due to her visits to Northern Ireland and her meetings with so many people. In private she made countless calls and contacts, speaking to leaders and opinion makers on all sides, urging them to keep moving forward.

Anyone criticizing her foreign policy involvement should look at her very active and positive approach to Northern Ireland and speak with the people of Northern Ireland who have the highest regard for her and are very grateful for her very active support for our peace process."

[ATLiberal]

You should post a link to the entire article, as it wasn't nearly as rosy as this snippet overall. I read it.

[AuntSam]

Colonel Richard Klass. USAF (ret.) is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, the National War College and Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He flew over 200 combat missions in Vietnam and served in the Executive Office of the President as a White House Fellow. His awards include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.

This article needs to be pubished by all MSM! Everybody send it to your local media as well as CNN and other major media outlets including Pennsylvania papers, NY Times and all others!

[RickO]

It's 3 AM and Hillary's phone rings. It's her national security advisor who says "Madam president, we have an urgent situation developing and the decision you make in the next few minutes could result in several thousand American military casualties. We have the intelligence estimate ready for you."

Hillary says, "Nah, I don't need to read it. Just send in the troops and email me a summary in the morning. Oh, and when the media calls, don't forget to tell them that I did indeed answer the phone."

[Countess]

Hillary Clinton has already given up on this argument because she is now working on a new platform for downtrodden whites. She will propose a new civil rights act giving whites their proper place in this society which so favors black people like Obama. She has been working on this for months with Rush Limbaugh, Geraldine Ferraro and other advisors. Please stay tuned.

[RickO]

Someday they'll be throwing a 100th birthday party for Hillary and someone will get up to make a toast and will say, "When Hillary Clinton ran for president, we voted for her. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either."

[jhamm1]

Indeed, there in lies the problem in that the essence of Hillary's so-called experience amounts to nothing more than a considerable amount of time spent within a key position, during which she has accomplished virtually nothing. Furthermore, her faulty decisions on Iraq and Iran indicate her inability to make wise decisions. Unforunately, Obama and his campaign have given her a free pass in terms of failing to address her constant reiterations about her so-called experience, in which case if they did their research and unearthed the truth, they could easily rebuff her remarks

[NuttyProf]

Indeed, Obama is channeling John Kerry as far as I am concerned. He should be going toe to toe with HRC on this stuff. Are his campaign advisors failing him?

[aquarius2001]

She is just Unbelievable! Enough with the lies...Hillary, you've been exposed. We no longer believe you. Give it up!!!

[happytrails]

Clinton's "thirty-five years of experience" is just more wishful thinking on her part and a contempt for the intelligence of the voters to count.

[TinaFreeman]

This is one of the main reason Clinton can't beat McCain.

She's run not as a "change" candidate, but as an "experience" candidate. On that score, McCain wins.

Only Obama has a shot at McCain.

[bish66]

The black guy with no military record, who is against war, no, make that "dumb war", but not against war supporters, as long as they are not the female senator from New York against the white Vietnam war hero who's tough on terror?

Dream on...

[Bummer]

I have been looking at the hufingtonpost & townhall.com and I"m amassed at the number of people that obviously are believing every word that Hilary says they are obviously not doing any research on there own. Every thing that she is saying about Barack can easily be found if they really want to know the truth. On the voting "present" on so many bills the answer that Barack gave on that was true just go to the Illinois state senate and you can find out anything you want and an explanation on what voting "present" means. Check there local papers on Rezko.
On the Canadian deal go to c-span on Sat. 3/8/08 and hear want the Canadian Government is saying about that, Hilary lied and the truth is Hilary went to Canadian officials first with a wink Barack"s people said in a 3min. Meeting that Barack meant what he said.
If you go to the New York senate race you will find out that every thing she said she would do for New York did not get done. For example: New York has lost a lot of jobs just like the rest of the country she said she would bring 30,000 jobs to back them instead they lost 20,000 more. And it is very easy to check her Senate records and the Whitewater scandal.
This is one of the most important Presidential races in the history of our country please know who you are voting for before it is to late, it is very hard to impeach

[tISHA]

Why don't you get you facts straight before posting . The Canadian PM has said the the Clinton DID NOT contact the government at any time. The Obama camp did. They have a memo to show they did. Hillary has done a lot for her NY state. . She made that job claim when she though Al Gore would be President in 2000. But instead we got Bush and the jobs went elsewhere. We don;t want 4 more years of McCain or heaven help us an inexperienced junior Senator trying to lead this country back from the brink. Wise up people vote for the best person, Hillary for President.

[Farfennugen]

She is very very gifted at blaming other people for her short commings.

[seejake]

temper temper.

[ifreez]

Actually, the facts are that the Canadian government admitted that Obama's economic advisor's words were inaccurate and distorted. He spoke with some low level person for about an hours and about 2 minutes were about Nafta, and the misinterpreted the words.

[Micaanab]

Very good.... You CAN look into Obamas past. Too bad you can't say the same for Clinton.