Let’s Cut To The Chase on Hillary, Obama, and Diplomacy

Hillary is trying to have it both ways. Remember that even George Bush and Condi Rice think and say they believe in diplomacy.

1. Propaganda Battles

Hillary is afraid of losing a propaganda battle. That’s a precondition for her. In a June interview with the Quad City Times, Hillary Clinton said of meeting with America’s enemies:

I wouldn’t commit to doing that within a first year. I think that you could very easily be used for propaganda purposes.

(If only she had been as concerned about how her war authorization vote would lead to the Iraq War being used for “propaganda purposes” to drive up al Qaeda recruitment).

Barack Obama has said:

I’m not afraid that America will lose a propaganda battle with a petty tyrant - we need to go before the world and win those battles. If we take the attitude that the President just parachutes in for a photo-op after an agreement has already been reached, then we’re only going to reach agreements with our friends. That’s not the way to protect the American people. That’s not the way to advance our interests.

2. Personal Diplomacy

The Hillary campaign is also criticizing Obama for personal diplomacy as President. The Clinton camp said :

When Senator Clinton used the term “no conditions,” she was referring to meetings between the United States government and Iran, not personal meetings with the President.

However, Obama embraces America’s history of Presidential personal diplomacy. Obama has said:

Just look at our history. Kennedy had a direct line to Khrushchev. Nixon met with Mao. Carter did the hard work of negotiating the Camp David Accords. Reagan was negotiating arms agreements with Gorbachev even as he called on him to “tear down this wall.”

It’s time to make diplomacy a top priority. Instead of shuttering consulates, we need to open them in the tough and hopeless corners of the world. Instead of having more Americans serving in military bands than the diplomatic corps, we need to grow our foreign service. Instead of retreating from the world, I will personally lead a new chapter of American engagement.