FactCheck.Org: Hillary's Foreign Policy Experience.

[malik flavors]

Summary:

On March 6 Hillary Clinton claimed that, unlike Barack Obama, she and likely Republican nominee John McCain have "cross the commander-in-chief threshold." In a CNN interview the day before, Clinton had listed five foreign policy accomplishments. We can't determine how much behind-the-scenes work Clinton did while first lady, and she certainly took an active interest in foreign policy when her husband was president. Moreover, her time as first lady plus her longer Senate career do give Clinton more foreign policy experience than Obama. But the public record of her actions shows that many of Clinton's foreign policy claims are exaggerated.

* Clinton claims to have "negotiated open borders" in Macedonia to fleeing Kosovar refugees. But the Macedonian border opened a full day before she arrived, and her meetings with Macedonian officials were too brief to allow for much serious negotiating.

* Clinton's activities "helped bring peace to Northern Ireland." Irish officials are divided as to how helpful Clinton's actions were, and key players agree that she was not directly involved in any actual negotiations.

* Clinton has repeatedly referenced her "dangerous" trip to Bosnia. She fails to mention, however, that the Bosnian war had officially ended three months before her visit – or that she made the trip with her 16-year-old daughter and two entertainers.

* Both Bill and Hillary Clinton claim that Hillary privately championed the use of U.S. troops to stop the genocide in Rwanda. That conversation left no public record, however, as U.S. policy was explicitly to stay out of Rwanda, and officials say that the use of U.S. troops was never considered.

* Clinton's tough speech on human rights delivered to a Beijing audience is as advertised, though Clinton herself has been dismissive of speeches that aren't backed by solutions.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/hillarys_adventures_abroad.html

[againes654]

1. Your cartoon is funny!!!!! n/t

[buff2]

2. Where is Obama's experience in Foreign policy?

Did you bother to fact check HIS?

[SoonerPride]

3. Nice try. He's never claimed more experience, only better JUDGMENT

Mrs. Clinton is the one touting all this "experience," and it turns out she was lying. Or at the very least, really stretching the truth.

[Major Hogwash]

4. None. Just as I suspected.

Probably was baking cookies while the stuff was getting done.

[Bread and Circus]

5. OMG...check this email I sent them the other day....

I sent this email to factcheck.org editors on March 9th, 2008


"Hillary Clinton is making a lot of large claims about her "lifetime of experience" somehow qualifying her for "Commander in Chief". Obama's campaign has called her to task on that.

I've noticed that her claims don't tend to match the record (take her N. Ireland visit for instance), at least in my opinion. However, I could be wrong.

I thought you would have an analysis of her foreign policy claims on your website but I can't find them.

Given you have spent quite a bit of time on matters a lot less essential in terms of picking our next President, I wonder if you could take the time and compare her foreign policy claims (and there are many) versus her actual record.

I wouldn't mind a review of what McCain has actually done as well. Being a POW, while noble in terms of the suffering incurred, doesn't necessarily lend insight on how to lead the Free World.

The Obama campaign is not making any superior claims to foreign policy claims, only judgement. But a review of his activities, positions, and policy advisors would be nice as well.

Thanks for taking the time.

Hopefully, a better educated citizenry will pick the best President."

[stray cat]

6. if only the media could be as responsible and informative

[bobthedrummer]

7. "Inconvenient truths about the New Democrats, the Third Way, Democratic Leadership Council, etc."

there is a political machine within the Democratic Party that was founded with extreme RW funding during the Reagan era-this machine supports neoconservative policies within the Democratic Party and declared its abandonment of the traditional Democratic base and policies in 1985--this is a must read link to an active GD thread started one week ago.

Hillary Clinton, President Clinton and many of his former cabinet and staff are the heart and soul of this political machine

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2973191

[backscatter712]

8. To paraphrase from a Kossack...

Hillary Clinton claiming to have foreign policy experience is about like Yoko Ono claiming to be a Beatle.

[DemsUnited]

9. I was willing to give Hillary the foreign experience point

even though I pretty much knew the facts as stated in factcheck.orgs analysis.

But I thought, after 8 years as first lady, she's already met and begun building relationships with most heads of state. That's actually very valuable experience.

Then I remembered that that was over 8 years ago, and many heads of state have changed over once, maybe twice, since then.

So the more honest measure is to look at what her foreign policy experience and relationships with foreign leaders have been during her Senate years.

I have no doubt she's done some impressive things, and would like to hear more about them instead of the yesteryear first lady accomplishments.

[ORDem]

10. The crux of the argument for me is not the degree of foreign policy experience

by either Hillary or Barack, it's how they frame it. To me, it's clear that Hillary is inflating her resume' to a degree that (if she were interviewing at my company) I'd reject her application. I also see it as part of an overall pattern. She seems to always have to over-compensate for her own self-perceptions that seem to say she's weak in a number of areas.

:dem:

[Infinite Hope]

11. Exactly...AMEN about the China trip. I thought the same thing. She's so hypocritical. n/t

[Bread and Circus]

12. I will just kick this. I hope it won't upset the idiot brigade too much.