Commander in Chief?

Okay, if we're going to get into this Commander in Chief bit, how about pressure under fire. Do you cave at the first sign of defeat or do you stick to your guns? Proverbially speaking that is. Hillary, as evidenced by the ad she ran on TV in the last days of her campaign in Texas and Ohio, has caved. Caved to the good old boys, the-worry-about-your-kids-at-3am, the fear mongering, war crowd.

Three am? Give me a break. That is the most anxiety ridden time in the whole 24 hour spectrum. I am capable of worrying myself into a lather about where I put my wristwatch or my eyeglasses at that hour. I don't need to be encouraged by anyone in that direction.

And the American people? Do we need this? Is Hillary going to invent her own color code. Will her next ads tell us, it's code gray-green today, where did you store your armor? Gas mask? Duct tape? Am I the only one who thinks, been there, done that, and as far as I can see it only made matters worse.

Hey, when Obama quoted FDR, Hillary, it would have been wise to listen. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, words said during the depression, on the edge of World War II from a man who was clearly battling a mortal illness.

What do I want in a Commander in Chief? First, someone who can remain calm and second, someone who will not abandon ship. We are fighting a battle right now, a battle for the heart and soul of our nation, for democracy, for placing diplomacy and cooperation before aggression and violence, for the good old fashioned morals our fore mothers and fathers celebrated, not as in we're going to invade your private life and tell you who you can marry, but as in, we don't torture and we don't wage unprovoked wars.

Hey Hillary, you didn't have the courage to stand up against the war in Iraq until polls showed that well more than half the country was against it. Then you never apologized for your misjudgment. Then you supported a bill that gives Bush the right to attack Iran. And then, when your back was against the wall in the latest primaries, you did not hesitate to use a tactic that hurts both your party and the nation. In other words, no, I don't want you as Commander in Chief. You've already jumped ship too many times.

Susan Griffin's new book, Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy, On Being an American Citizen, will be published early in April.

Comments

[GoldCanyonGal]

First and foremost, the damn phone was NOT red and there absolutely no reference to the military in that ad...secondly, there are a multitude of disaster scenarios that might arise right here that have nothing to do with terrorism (which was not mentioned either) like, your living room is full of water and you're sitting on the roof waiting for someone to rescue you (LA, MS)...or the outdated water allocation system along the southeastern side of the country (GA) has left you within 2-3 days of NO water...or, there's a Flu outbreak because some bonehead either didn't get the fomulation right, or dropped the ball entirely and there is a vaccine shortage (Everywhere USA 2006-2008)...I could go on, but there's no point in it...the Ad is about Leadership, Experience and managing the inevitable calamities that happen every day...it slams the Bush Admin's complete lack of a timely reaction to any one of a number of similar situations that George W has compromised with his stupidity...we need to start moving together here people...we're all on the same side of the ticket, remember?

[FreedomLoverX]

It came out today that the girl in the ad had no idea it was going into a Hillary commercial. She is a die-hard Obama supporter.

Meanwhile, your whole comment is silly. Most rational people know what that ad meant.

But, whatever the disaster, I would prefer a cool hand picking up the phone, instead of McHillary.

[NickAdams1917]

Did she send back the check?

[fnygy]

I appreciate your thoughts. But, I think what you're missing from the piece is, the author isn't at all sure that Clinton is on "our" side anymore - if she's willing to tell us to vote out of fear - and I can't say I disagree with her. If Clinton is the candidate, I'm seriously considering abstaining. I'm tempted to let her have her viking funeral and take the whole party with her. The entire DLC strategy is bankrupt, as far as I'm concerned. I'm more and more convinced that it's nothing more than power for power's sake - and the Clintons are masters of the game.

[sashby]

It's a relief to see someone making a coherent argument in support of Hillary. It tells me there are Hillary supporters that are thinking for themselves. I mean no disrespect to you personally, however there seems to be an overwhelming amount of bile coming from the Hillary camp, which seems an inevitable result of how the campaign is being conducted. It's interesting how behavior of supporters often mirrors that of the candidate themselves.

Unfortunately you are incorrect on a key point. It clearly mentions the military, and the "red phone" is a well established metaphor that did not come from the ad itself. Ask yourself this question: what was the purpose of this ad? Is the primary motivation to make an argument, or is it to frighten you? The same argument could be made without the underlying fear tactic in the ad, but that would require evidence to support those claims. If Hillary can make a serious argument without the fear tactic she should do so.

TRANSCRIPT
"It's 3:00 a.m. and your children are safe and sleep, but there's a phone in the White House and its ringing. Something's happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call. Whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It's 3:00 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?"

Transcript is taken from here http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/another-clinton-plant-1.php. You are welcome to compare it to the video here http://youtube.com/watch?v=xcR6enqJZJ8&feature=related

[YellerDawg]

It's always so amusing to see Obama's supporters whining about how mean and nasty Hillary's supporters are. The vitriol directed at Hillary for these many years is self-evident. Huffpo plays host to some of the worst offenders. Even you, despite your allegedly meaning no disrespect, couldn't resist slamming Hillary. "It's Interesting how behavior of supporters often mirrors that of the candidate themselves." Yet again, Obama=good; Hillary=bad,

[MrWinky]

I'm sorry, but that is a load of crap. There are many ways to broadcast your experience and leadership, and that was not the primary message of that commercial. Rather, the message was "if you don't vote for me, something bad is going to happen to your children, and its going to be your fault." It is fearmongering plain and simple, and if Cheney or Bush had run it, we Democrats would have been all over it. To argue that the ad was a critique on Bush is insane. Last time I checked, W wasn't running for President, so why would we assume that it was about Bush and not Obama? I think that is a very rosy portrait you have painted.

Mainly, we have to wake up and admit that there is a difference between being tough and being conniving. Madelaine Albright was tough, Janet Reno was tough, Anne Richards was tough, yet at the same time they were principled. They were not above letting somebody have it on the opposition, but they never came out with the blatant contradictions as easily and unapologetically as the Clintons. The Clintons support the party, but will scuttle Obama if it helps Hillary. Obama is unfit for the office, yet wouldn't he be a great VP. Obama can't get it done in his first term in the Senate, but Hillary in only her second term is so much qualified, especially when you add what she and Sinbad had been able to accomplish in the 90's. The point being is that the rules are the same for men and women, and manipulative, conniving, unprincipled people should be held as such regardles of their gender. The women in my family are strong and tough, and it offends me deeply that Hillary isn't called out for her lack of any shred of morality.

[NickAdams1917]

There is someone else running for President, isn't there?

[Plank]

The people who buy into Hillary's argument about experience should consider the bios of the Bush team. Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld have a combined 60 years experience in an official capacity.
That experience brought us a disastrous war, huge deficits, torture, eavsdropping and an economy in recession.
Hillary alignment with McCain on the experience front will be more of the same.

[Manx]

In her sleazy campaign against Obama, Hillary perceives that's she is appearing tough enough to be the Commander In Chief. Trouble is, she has confused toughness with being obnoxious.

[ChangeNow]

Just in case anyone is confused, "Commander in Chief" is a title that refers to the President's authority over the MILITARY, not the people.

"The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;"

We are NOT electing our own commander.

[nazgul]

A real Democratic Commander-In-Chief would not, in desperation, have tossed her Democratic opponent under the Republican bus!

[cybersense]

Susan, that ad did not depict itself to me as a "fear monger" ad. I saw it as a good point to bring up.
If you want, you can keep spinning this, but it's old and it still doesn't bring the issue of who would be has more experience. The kind we need right now. It's not Obama. I like him, but I am not secure with what little experience he has.

[desmirl]

And Hilary's experience? Wrong on the resolution to use force in Iraq! Wrong to vote for continued authorization of funds for the war in Iraq. Insanely wrong on voting for Kyl-Lieberman which gave Bush a backdoor to PREEMPTIVELY invade Iran. What has Hilary been right on? Show us examples of her experience leading her to make SOUND JUDGMENTS!

[YellerDawg]

Obama voted to continue the war funding, too, repeatedly. Many of his supporters, whose opinion you value so much now, also voted for the war and the other bills you reference. I guess only Hillary is to be condemned for what many others have done and what Obama probably would have done had he been in the Senate at the time.

[TheRealMacDaddy]

So your screen name says...cybersense, what I would like you to do for me is please show ME something that says Hillary Clinton has the experience you tout? And please show me some evidence where Barack Obama is lacking this experience.

Oh and please don't use her experience at bringing peace to Northern Ireland...there are currently two articles here at HuffPost regarding this issue. One is reported by the Telegraph, which is a prominent UK Newpaper (not like the Sun) that quotes one of the Nobel Peace recipients as saying she did not really do very much. The other is from something called "The Fact Hub" that testifies that the peace couldn't have been done without her. Now which should we believe? The one by an independent newspaper or the one that was put out and paid for by Hillary herself?

And before closing, I would also like to just take this short opportunity to say, that Sen. Clinton has selectively edited Sen. George Mitchell's statement with regards to the issue. The original statement by Sen. Mitchell supports the Telegraph's version of the story, that her involment was little more than flying over with Bill.

So again, please tell me what experience can you cite that shows she would be better in any instance?

[NickAdams1917]

What item of foreign policy was Mr. Obama when Hilary was not helping with Northern Island? Or not helping in Madedonia? or any other place she didn't help.

[NickAdams1917]

That was so bad, I have to try it again. Mea Culpa.

What item of foreign policy was Mr. Obama working on when Hilary was not helping with Northern Irelad? Or not helping in Macedonia? or any other place she went to but didn't help? Respectfully.

[suekzoo]

Hillary says she has crossed the threshold of being qualified to be the Commander in Chief, and so has John McCain, and Obama has given a speech.

By this very statement, she proves she is unfit for duty. A cardinal rule for any military commander is to NEVER give aid or comfort to the enemy.

[OwenScottIII]

Unless, of course, you are a stealth Republican. Then, you can endorse the GOP candidate over the Democrat who's leading in delegates and votes as often as you wish (three times, so far).

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Hmmmm, you may have something there...Remember she was a Goldwater Girl (which is nothing like a Bond Girl...LOL).

[robeson]

I am not giving in to this 'commander in chief' baloney. I am voting for a President and not perpetual war.

[batguano]

THANK YOU! These measured words of wisdom are very needed now. I, alas, have been infected with a contempt for the tactics of Clinton and her minions so severe, that my words come out angry and somewhat over the top; yours are eloquent and thoughtful while still critical of her madness and divisiveness.

[mcfried]

I think I love you Susan. Finally saying some of the things I'm thinking.

[SamThornton]

Someone asked why the fictional President Hillary Clinton was dressed in a suit when she answered that 3:00 a.m. call in the commercial. I wondered that, too. What, is she ashamed of the Dr. Denton's? Is this what former President Clinton meant when he was blabbering about fairy tales? I want reality in a Chief Executive, someone who blunders out of a deep sleep, grabs the phone, and shouts, "Put me on your do-not-call list, dammit!" You know, someone like the rest of us.

[Housewife]

Not to mention that her strategic ability is lacking, evidenced by her failure to see past the February 5th Primaries. She can't even run a campaign, let alone a country. Her first real executive test and she is failing it miserably. It looks like she is going to lose the Wyoming caucus to Obama. Of course we know she doesn't think the little states and caucuses don't count. Way to broaden the base. Let's only care about the states we have won before. That'll beat those Republicans.
Heckuva Job Hillary!

[Redmom]

Thank you MS. Griffin!

You sound like someone that has actually read Obama's books. I' ve been fascinated by his thought processes. He's a very deep thinker. He considers all the angles before he makes decisions. He listens.
He learns. That is true decision making. And, once he makes a decision he will be able to hold a conversation with the American people.

I want Obama's hand on that phone.

[Tubby]

Hillary was good in the Senate. The Peter Principle has sadly kicked in now.

[nazgul]

Well, she saw to it that a bunch of buildings were named. Hate to see an unnamed post office. It's a sad sight.

[ToddD]

What a great post. Calls it just as it is. Sorry Hill....We can't have your finger on any button.. nor can the rest of the world.