Clinton Is More Qualified To Be Secretary of State Than Sanders

[DrFunkenstein]

Like Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton has a grasp of global dynamics that would make her right at home as part of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. No one can doubt that she sees how the chess pieces of the world move around. That is an admirable quality and she has earned the respect of the foreign relations community.

Conversely, Bernie Sanders does not have the experience to be a Secretary of State. The focus of his political career is clearly on domestic politics, and he does not talk with the same facility about the minute nuances of international relations.

That said, he has consistently shown an astute moral compass and a remarkable degree of judgment when it comes to the decisions confronting our nation. Moreover, he has shown the political courage to make such decisions even when it is far easier to follow public opinion under a drumbeat of war.

For a moderate, even hawkish administration, Clinton would make for a perfect fit as Secretary of State. But when you look at her record more closely, there are many examples of decisions that would make most Democrats highly uncomfortable.

In 2009, for example, Clinton continue to send millions of dollars to Honduras in the immediate aftermath of a military coup that overthrew a democratically-elected President - overriding the mandate of the Obama White House in the process. No one would be surprised if that occurred during Nixon, Reagan, or either of the Bush administrations.

No one would blink in the halls of the Manhattan headquarters of CFR. It would merely be a debate about the use of soft power. But it is not the sort of leadership and judgment that many Democrats would consider acceptable.

Would Sanders be offered a position as Secretary of State? No. But that is not the job we are hiring for. We are hiring someone to lead the country, someone with the judgment to consider the advice of experts and make decisions based on the good of the country within the wider world. Propping up military juntas and international conglomerates does not fit that description.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. If Bernie offered her the post, I would approve. nt

[moondust]

2. Does Hillary speak any foreign languages?

As far as I know she doesn't, which makes me think Obama did not pick her to be SOS because of any special talent in international relations. I suspect it may have had more to do with using the Clinton name to quickly reassure "Old Europe" and others around the world that the U.S. was returning to the policies of relative peace and prosperity they would naturally remember from the Clinton Presidency.

And as a consolation prize that would help her run in the future.