As part of a tour to promote her new memoir, “Hard Choices,” former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — widely seen as the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination — sat down with ABC News journalist Diane Sawyer in which she defended her record, remained coy about running for the nation’s highest job and one who takes the high road when it comes to adultery and sexist remarks made by world leaders.
She also defended her health, which became a major issue after suffering a concussion. Former President George W. Bush’s adviser Karl Rove particularly made a hay out of it, questioning her judgment and linking her poor decision-making, in his opinion anyway, to that injury. Clinton came back with a retort at Rove: “he was called “Bush’s brain…and I wish him well.” While she’s fully recovered, Clinton admitted she has to take blood-thinners daily.
Lately her record – or perhaps lack of – as secretary of state has been scrutinized as one where much had not been accomplished and, if anything, the world is a more unsettled place.
About the one record that was notable and unquestionable was her extensive travel: 1 million miles and 112 nations. But Clinton said there’s far more to her record of accomplishment, such as fighting for tougher sanctions on Iran, which she said had brought them to the proverbial table. Also, she had also called for the strike in a rural Pakistani village that ultimately led to the killing of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. She pointed out that Vice President Joseph Biden and former Defense Secretary Bob Gates opposed going in.
While readily admitting that she hadn’t inspired the creation of some new doctrine, Clton said results for world peace and security rarely are so clear-cut.
“There’s no perfect outcome. It’s a constant effort.”
Benghazi
Perhaps the biggest lightening rod of an issue for Clinton is her handling of the security, or lack thereof, that lead to the deaths of four Americans – including Ambassador Chris Stevens – in the town of Benghazi in Libya, which had just seen its first taste of freedom following the overthrow of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Republicans have repeatedly questioned her judgment on this issue, especially given that that cables were sent about the month before the Sept. 11, 2012 attack about insufficient security. A subsequent investigation by a federal review board found the security surrounding the outpost to be inadequate, which included an incomplete fence and inoperable security cameras.
At the time, she said she believed she did everything in her power to address the issue, even though she admitted she didn’t personally read the cables regarding the security situation, nor did she plan out the security situation. She said she is not in a position to micromanage security situations, leaving that to others.
“I’m not equipped to look at blueprints,” she said. “I was not making security decisions. The experience and expertise lies elsewhere.” She said it was unfortunate some lawmakers were “politicizing this at the expense of four dead Americans.”
Despite the brutal criticism from many Republicans, at least one Republican has praised her work: Gates himself. In his book, “Duty,” which largely slammed President Barack Obama’s leadership, Gates wrote about Clinton, “I found her smart, idealistic but pragmatic, tough-minded, indefatigable, funny, a very valuable colleague, and a superb representative of the United States all over the world.”
On personal matters, such as former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, who had an affair with the former president in the late 1990s, and a sexist remark Russia’s President Vladimir Putin made about her after she compared him to Hitler (“Better to not argue with a woman”), Clinton decided to take the high road. About Lewinsky, she said she wishes her well, and about Putin, there’s agreement to disagree.
Parker Flag's Files 