Obama sends someone out to clarify the Situation
Given the confusion and fast-pace of the day, having somebody lay out the current US position in compact and precise form is very useful. But having someone outside the government do so is unusual. Not bad, just unusual.
These Hillary comments followed her meeting with Obama today and are not just some private citizen's personal comments, though they litterally are. The point being, these are vetted comments and surely indicative of where Obama wants to be on this thing. But t the same time, deniable if such need arose. It is litterally just some private citizen talking. But at the same time, a lot of people around the world will take this as more authoritative and reliable than anyone currently within the government (except Obama himself, of course, but he is not supposed to be a public negotiator) reading the same words. Which is the point.
She surely agrees with everything she said. Her long-held views and policies on Syria were hawkish. She is the primary architect of the red-line. If any colaboration affected the words it would have been as likely to soften them as harden them.
An unusual move, but smart.
"First , as the president has said, the Assad regime's inhuman use of weapons of mass destruction against innocent men, women and children violates a universal norm at the heart of our global order," Clinton said. "And therefore, it demands a strong response from the international community, led by the United States.
"Second, the international community cannot ignore the ongoing threat from the Assad regime's stockpiles of chemical weapons — whether they are used again against Syrian civilians or transferred to Hezbollah or stolen by other terrorists," she continued. "This is about protecting both the Syrian people and our friends in the region. The world will have to deal with this threat as swiftly and comprehensively as possible."
Clinton then addressed comments made by current Secretary of State John Kerry, who suggested Monday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a military strike if he surrenders his chemical weapons... "Now, if the regime immediately surrendered its stockpiles to international control, as was suggested by Secretary Kerry and the Russians, that would be an important step," Clinton said. "But this cannot be another excuse for delay or obstruction. And russia has to support the international community's efforts sincerely or be held to account. It is very important to note that this discussion that has taken hold today about potential international control over Syria's stockpiles only could take place in the context of a credible military threat by the United States to keep pressure on the Syrian government as well as those supporting Syria like Russia."
"Third, as has been emphasized many times and I did so as secretary of state, the broader conflict in Syria is a threat to regional stability and security of our allies and partners, as well as a humanitarian catastrophe for the Syrian people and those neighboring countries attempting to absorb hundreds of thousands, now more than 2 million refugees," Clinton said. "Achieving a political solution that ends the conflict is in the interest of the United States."
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/hillary-clinton-russian-proposal-on-syrian-weapons-important
= new reply since forum marked as read
So according to your first attempt to portray this as not "her personal take on things," you would have been implying that she came out to sell a position she doesn't believe in.
Like I said, you're the one trying to hype Hillary ("global credibility, as a spokesperson"
for agreeing with Kerry and the administration.
You are arguing with yourself.
Please cite someplace I have ever said Hllary was not the architect of our current Syria policy (she is, as everyone knows) or else shut up.
