"I really see my role as Secretary, in fact leadership in general in a democracy, as a relay race. When you run the best race you can run, you hand off the baton. Some of what hasn’t been finished may go on to be finished.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
April 23, 2014
By: Linda Case Gibbons
Can you list any of Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments? At any time? Or while she headed up the State Department?
No? Well, don’t feel bad. Nobody else can either.
Not the Democratic National Committee, not anyone on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, not the "Man on the Street”, and certainly not State Department spokesperson Jan Psaki.
This week Psaki stood transfixed at the podium like a deer caught in the headlights of a car and stammered when asked that very question by AP reporter Matthew Lee.
Her answer? Psak said she wasn’t there… then…but that she was certain that those who were there…then…could point out one. A Clinton accomplishment.
To be fair, Psaki did come back the next day to answer the question loaded up with lots of words about Hill’s contributions, "emphasis on trade promotion, investment, leveling the economic playing field, fuller integration of women and girls into our policy framework, blah, blah, blah.”
But in real life there are no re-dos and the 24-hour time lag was an answer in itself.
That question about the prospective presidential candidate seems to make everyone fidget and get that thousand mile stare. It drives people into incoherency or laughter like CNN’s John King who laughed out loud at Psaki’s answer.
Even Hill herself is stumped.
She was at the Women of the World Summit in New York City this month and was asked what she was most proud of during her tenure as secretary of state; what she felt was unfinished; and what she would like to have another crack at one day.
She could have said "I got nothin’,” but she couldn’t say anything because she was speechless.
She bought herself some time by praising the moderator. Then she gave a rambling answer that included words like "democracy,” and "leadership.” Everything but "accomplishments.”
She likened her role as Secretary of State to a relay race. You do the best you can, she said, and what you don’t finish, you hand off.
Did that include Benghazi?
After having been silent for such a long time, Clinton recently decided to comment on Benghazi, saying it was "her biggest regret.”
She called it a "terrible tragedy, losing four Americans, two diplomats and, now it’s public, so I can say two CIA operatives.” Yep, she said what you and I would have said. It was a terrible tragedy.
But she isn’t you and she isn’t me. She is a former sitting secretary of state, not an uninvolved bystander. And to this day, she has done nothing to clarify that night in Benghazi to the American people.
Heck, last week, she cancelled an appearance as keynote speaker in San Diego because demonstrators comprised of the families of Benghazi murder victims said they didn’t want her there because of her role in the Benghazi scandal and they intended to demonstrate if she came.
That’s how she handles Benghazi.
But, supporters of "Clinton for President” grumble. They say she’s "taken responsibility” for Benghazi. What more do you want?”
"Who, what, when and where,” that’s what Americans want.
Americans know nothing more than they did nineteen months ago, and I guess the guy to whom she "passed the baton” doesn’t have this as his priority, either.
Accountability by someone in the government, along with "taking responsibility.” That’s what Americans want.
What does "taking responsibility” look like?
This week South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned over the government’s handling of the ferry disaster in his country. The buck stopped with him and it stopped eleven days after the disaster.
The Prime Minister said he felt he had to take responsibility for the slow initial reaction to the ferry’s sinking.
He apologized "on behalf of the government for the many problems that arose during the first response and the subsequent rescue operation,” and to "problems that existed before the accident.”
That was nice. If only we had heard these words from our secretary of state and our president after Benghazi.
CNN reported the prime minister’s apology and subsequent resignation was "the type of thing that happens in South Korea” and "many other countries.”
What they didn’t report was that we don’t see that "type of thing” in the U.S. Instead, we see low ranking State Department employees blamed for the attack, then sent off in "disgrace,” only to be reinstated to their jobs.
We see a president who to this day never told the American people where he was during the attack on the consulate at Benghazi.
And we see the secretary of state, stonewalling investigations into Benghazi, an attack which happened on her watch.
Unqualified for the offices she held as senator or secretary of state, Clinton wasn’t very good at either.
Clinton’s Russian "Reset” button did nothing for foreign relations. Today Putin and the world scoff at the U.S. president and the U.S. foreign policy and Putin has no reservations about invading the Ukraine.
Clinton’s presence before and during Benghazi made absolutely no difference one way or another. And her promises to get to the bottom of the attack were just hollow words.
There is no doubt that Muslims are better off in America because of Clinton and Obama’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and the Arab Spring.
But outside of travelling millions of miles, flying here and flying there, Clinton is seen as just another lawyer who happened to be married to a president.
And, when all is said and done, she believes this administration is A-okay. Really.
"I’m very proud of the stabilization and the really solid leadership that the administration provided that I think now leads us to be able to deal with problems like Ukraine because we’re not so worried about a massive collapse in Europe and China.” Really.
But, things have been tough on Hill. Maybe that’s why she decided to borrow a page from Nancy Pelosi’s play book and "get religion.” After all, how many protestors are you going to get at the United Methodist Women’s Conference?
So last week Clinton went back to her Methodist roots at the United Methodist Women’s Conference in Louisville after Nancy Pelosi humbly washed the feet of two immigrant children on Holy Thursday. And then Twittered the photo.
Who knows what Hillary Clinton has done? We can’t think of anything, but Hillary Clinton tells us, "I am finishing my book so you’ll be able to read all about it.”
That should clear up any questions you have on Benghazi.
Hold the line, America.
April 23, 2014
By: Linda Case Gibbons
Can you list any of Hillary Clinton’s accomplishments? At any time? Or while she headed up the State Department?
No? Well, don’t feel bad. Nobody else can either.
Not the Democratic National Committee, not anyone on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, not the "Man on the Street”, and certainly not State Department spokesperson Jan Psaki.
This week Psaki stood transfixed at the podium like a deer caught in the headlights of a car and stammered when asked that very question by AP reporter Matthew Lee.
Her answer? Psak said she wasn’t there… then…but that she was certain that those who were there…then…could point out one. A Clinton accomplishment.
To be fair, Psaki did come back the next day to answer the question loaded up with lots of words about Hill’s contributions, "emphasis on trade promotion, investment, leveling the economic playing field, fuller integration of women and girls into our policy framework, blah, blah, blah.”
But in real life there are no re-dos and the 24-hour time lag was an answer in itself.
That question about the prospective presidential candidate seems to make everyone fidget and get that thousand mile stare. It drives people into incoherency or laughter like CNN’s John King who laughed out loud at Psaki’s answer.
Even Hill herself is stumped.
She was at the Women of the World Summit in New York City this month and was asked what she was most proud of during her tenure as secretary of state; what she felt was unfinished; and what she would like to have another crack at one day.
She could have said "I got nothin’,” but she couldn’t say anything because she was speechless.
She bought herself some time by praising the moderator. Then she gave a rambling answer that included words like "democracy,” and "leadership.” Everything but "accomplishments.”
She likened her role as Secretary of State to a relay race. You do the best you can, she said, and what you don’t finish, you hand off.
Did that include Benghazi?
After having been silent for such a long time, Clinton recently decided to comment on Benghazi, saying it was "her biggest regret.”
She called it a "terrible tragedy, losing four Americans, two diplomats and, now it’s public, so I can say two CIA operatives.” Yep, she said what you and I would have said. It was a terrible tragedy.
But she isn’t you and she isn’t me. She is a former sitting secretary of state, not an uninvolved bystander. And to this day, she has done nothing to clarify that night in Benghazi to the American people.
Heck, last week, she cancelled an appearance as keynote speaker in San Diego because demonstrators comprised of the families of Benghazi murder victims said they didn’t want her there because of her role in the Benghazi scandal and they intended to demonstrate if she came.
That’s how she handles Benghazi.
But, supporters of "Clinton for President” grumble. They say she’s "taken responsibility” for Benghazi. What more do you want?”
"Who, what, when and where,” that’s what Americans want.
Americans know nothing more than they did nineteen months ago, and I guess the guy to whom she "passed the baton” doesn’t have this as his priority, either.
Accountability by someone in the government, along with "taking responsibility.” That’s what Americans want.
What does "taking responsibility” look like?
This week South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned over the government’s handling of the ferry disaster in his country. The buck stopped with him and it stopped eleven days after the disaster.
The Prime Minister said he felt he had to take responsibility for the slow initial reaction to the ferry’s sinking.
He apologized "on behalf of the government for the many problems that arose during the first response and the subsequent rescue operation,” and to "problems that existed before the accident.”
That was nice. If only we had heard these words from our secretary of state and our president after Benghazi.
CNN reported the prime minister’s apology and subsequent resignation was "the type of thing that happens in South Korea” and "many other countries.”
What they didn’t report was that we don’t see that "type of thing” in the U.S. Instead, we see low ranking State Department employees blamed for the attack, then sent off in "disgrace,” only to be reinstated to their jobs.
We see a president who to this day never told the American people where he was during the attack on the consulate at Benghazi.
And we see the secretary of state, stonewalling investigations into Benghazi, an attack which happened on her watch.
Unqualified for the offices she held as senator or secretary of state, Clinton wasn’t very good at either.
Clinton’s Russian "Reset” button did nothing for foreign relations. Today Putin and the world scoff at the U.S. president and the U.S. foreign policy and Putin has no reservations about invading the Ukraine.
Clinton’s presence before and during Benghazi made absolutely no difference one way or another. And her promises to get to the bottom of the attack were just hollow words.
There is no doubt that Muslims are better off in America because of Clinton and Obama’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and the Arab Spring.
But outside of travelling millions of miles, flying here and flying there, Clinton is seen as just another lawyer who happened to be married to a president.
And, when all is said and done, she believes this administration is A-okay. Really.
"I’m very proud of the stabilization and the really solid leadership that the administration provided that I think now leads us to be able to deal with problems like Ukraine because we’re not so worried about a massive collapse in Europe and China.” Really.
But, things have been tough on Hill. Maybe that’s why she decided to borrow a page from Nancy Pelosi’s play book and "get religion.” After all, how many protestors are you going to get at the United Methodist Women’s Conference?
So last week Clinton went back to her Methodist roots at the United Methodist Women’s Conference in Louisville after Nancy Pelosi humbly washed the feet of two immigrant children on Holy Thursday. And then Twittered the photo.
Who knows what Hillary Clinton has done? We can’t think of anything, but Hillary Clinton tells us, "I am finishing my book so you’ll be able to read all about it.”
That should clear up any questions you have on Benghazi.
Hold the line, America.