Bernie Sanders Responds To Hillary Clinton’s Foreign Policy Speech

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Bernie Sanders responded to yesterday’s speech by Hillary Clinton much as I responded in greater detail yesterday. We both agreed that, while Clinton’s criticism of Trump’s policy as dangerously incoherent was accurate, Clinton’s own foreign policy views have also been rather dangerous. Sanders put out this release:

“I agree with Secretary Clinton that Donald Trump’s foreign policy ideas are incredibly reckless and irresponsible. But when it comes to foreign policy, we cannot forget that Secretary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq, the worst foreign policy blunder in modern American history, and that she has been a proponent of regime change, as in Libya, without thinking through the consequences.

“We need a foreign policy based on building coalitions and making certain that the brave American men and women in our military do not get bogged down in perpetual warfare in the Middle East. That’s what I will fight for as president.”

In my post yesterday, I discussed Clinton’s dangerous foreign policy views further, including regarding Libya and Syria. I also included several tweets from others which point out the contradiction in someone as militaristic as Clinton warning about the views of someone else.

While Sanders had a sensible response to Clinton’s speech, Donald Trump responded by denying saying what Clinton accused him of saying in her speech. It was rather simple for Clinton to then respond by giving links to show what Trump has said in the past. Of course Trump appears to just make things up as he speaks, and nothing he says should be taken as having any further meaning. Even when he admits to something he has said previously, he now claims it was just a suggestion.

11 Comments

  1. 1
    SocraticGadfly says:

    What about the coup in Honduras that Bernie still refuses to mention? http://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2016/03/feelthebern-vs-failthebern-on-honduras.html

    What about the semi-coup in Ukraine that Bernie apparently supports?

    What about the NATO drive to the east of years past, that Bernie also presumably supported? 

  2. 2
    Anthony Wicher says:

    I agree with SocraticGadfly in that Sanders' foreign policy also leaves much to be desired – but I will certainly take it over that of Clinton or Trump. 

  3. 3
    Bob Munck says:

    Sanders could have earlier given the speech that Clinton did, using his own foreign policy plans instead of hers (it would have been quite a bit shorter) and demolishing Trump with those same links to his statements. He didn't. 

    Note that both Obamas also blasted Trump in major speeches in the last 24 hours; Jerry Brown was a little earlier. I fully expect to hear the same from Warren, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Gore, Franken, Booker, Frank, and other prominent Democrats in the near future. Bernie better get it in gear. 

  4. 4
    Rocker says:

    Hey BURNY

     

    "But when it comes to foreign policy, we cannot forget that Secretary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq, the worst foreign policy blunder in modern American history,"

    Lets not forget she was not the only one bamboozled in to voting for it. Are you going to shun your good buddy Chuck Schumer, Hillary and the other 27 Democrats that said yes?

    You make it sound like it was her call alone. What about your non voting record? 

  5. 5
    Ron Chusid says:

    It is also not a good point for any of those who voted for the Iraq war. Matters were even worse in Clinton’s case. She made false claims of a connection between Saddam and al Qaeda to justify the war. She made the same mistake in pushing for intervention in Libya and Syria.

  6. 6
    Ken Duerksen says:

    SocraticGadfly    What about those things?   We'll, you yourself felt it necessary to slip a qualifying "Apparently" or "Presumably" into each of your allegations, so apparently your answer would be "I don't know".   I guarantee you can find video of Bernie speaking against belligerence in all of your examples.  

  7. 7
    Ken Duerksen says:

    Rocker

     

    Of sourse it was not "Her Call Alone" on Iraq….she is a gutless joiner, just like the other corrupted democrats you listed.  I KNEW at that time that Bush's excuses for the invasion were absolute lies – just like everyone else that was paying attention to the UN Inspectors really knew.   Any vote for that war is evidence of predatory avarice for money an power, or a sign of an absolute absence of political courage.   Bernie voted AGAINST it for clear reasons that survive to this day.

  8. 8
    Ron Chusid says:

    “I KNEW at that time that Bush’s excuses for the invasion were absolute lies – just like everyone else that was paying attention to the UN Inspectors really knew.”

    Yes, we all knew. It is hard to have confidence in a political leader who did not realize what was going on. Plus, even if there was justification for Clinton being fooled, she continued to make the same mistakes re Libya and Syria. She does not seem to have any understanding of the long term consequences of the military interventionism she supports.

  9. 9
    Bob Munck says:

     I KNEW at that time that Bush's excuses for the invasion were absolute lies

    Remember, you have absolutely no idea what Senators were told by the intelligence community in classified briefings, just as none of us has any idea what incoming Presidents-elect are told in their initial national security briefings. I have no doubt that the spooks lie like crazy, because that's the way they get bigger budgets. Suppose they claimed that it was a certainty that Iraq had biological weapons or dirty bombs and the means to deliver them to American cities; in that case Sanders' position was irrational.

  10. 10
    Bob Munck says:

    Clinton’s criticism of Trump’s policy as dangerously incoherent was accurate

    Left unsaid here is the fact that Clinton's incredibly strong and effective attack on Trump in this speech belies the argument that Sanders would do better against him than Clinton will. As far as I know, Sanders has mostly ignored Trump, even as he locked up the Republican nomination and the focus of the entire Democratic Party has swung to the general election.  

  11. 11
    Ron Chusid says:

    We are dealing with events in the real world, not hypotheticals. It is pointless to debate the Iraq war yet again. We know who got it right. Neocons were wrong, and it is foolish to elect another neocon as president.

    Clinton’s speech does demonstrate that she can have an advantage on foreign policy. Sanders has an even bigger one, having been right. He offeres an alternative to Trump’s views while both Trump and Clinton offer a continuation of the warfare state. Trump could eat into Clinton’s lead on this issue it he can manage to more coherently stress less interventionist views, as he does at times. Of course it is hard to compare Trump to anyone else considering how inconsistent he is.

    Sanders has not mostly ignored Trump.

    Even if Clinton does have an advantage over Trump on foreign policy, Gallup is showing voters trust him more on the economy. If he can maintain this, it does keep Clinton vulnerable. I wish they had included Trump v. Sanders in that poll.

    Realistically, pretty much anyone should be able to beat Trump. However Clinton has major weaknesses of her own, making the risk of Trump pulling off a victory higher if she is the nominee.

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