"35 Years Experience" but No Security Clearance?

[From The Left]

Hillary Clinton’s boast of 35 years experience appears to be a daydream.

Her resume from her time in the White House during her husband’s two term administration (that she takes credit for on her CV) lacks some of the hallmarks of someone who was intimately involved in foreign policy matters.

The Democratic presidential candidate had no security clearance, and does not recall having attended National Security Council meetings. She also did not regularly receive classified reports in the president’s daily intelligence briefing, although she was less than candid when asked by The New York Times whether she had seen any of the reports.

According to the New York Times:

Clinton’s record on foreign policy is somewhat murky, her supporters painted her as one of the most important voices in the two terms of Bill Clinton’s administration.

"In the end, she was the last court of appeal for him when he was making a decision," Clinton friend and former commerce secretary Mickey Kantor told the paper.

Using Hillary Clinton's (il)logic, then Laura Bush and Barbara Bush would be qualified to be president just because they were in the same room as their husbands. A rather specious argument.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/us/politics/26clinton.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

[underpants]

1. Hmmm

[PVnRT]

2. And if she wins the nomination, the GOP will hammer her on it

Hell, they already do around the office I work in. It is a silly argument, and she should either reframe it or just drop it.

Or maybe I should claim three years of experience as an Industrial Hygienist because the IH guy around here sits in the office right across from my cubicle.

[KoKo]

3. well.....neither Laura Bush nor Barbara Bush are lawyers who had

experience on their own. Hillary as a fresh law graduate worked on the Nixon Impeachment Bill Was Governor of Arkansas with Hillary as first lady way before Chimpy managed to buy his way into the Texas Governor's Mansion. Hillary and Bill were part of the founding of the odious DLC where they met with Think Tanks, Power Brokers and leading World Figures who influence policy. Hillary has always been involved in Politics with Bill. Neither Laura nor Babs seemed so inclined.

And, Hillary has served in the US Senate longer than Obama which tops his "State Senate" experience and his three years as US Senator.

[From The Left]

6. Using Your Logic, Geraldo Rivera, A Lawyer, Is Qualified

Also, Obama had 8 years legislative experience in the Illinois state house and four as a U.S. senator, giving him 12 years of legislative experiece. Much more than Hillary's 8 years. But nice try.

[Occam Bandage]

4. So, was Bill Clinton leaking classified information? Or is Hillary misrepresenting the facts?

We all know a Clinton would *never* misrepresent the facts for political gain.

[sallyseven]

5. I have seen some silly posts but this is the worst..

What a crock of manure. Of course she talked with her husband she was fully aware of what the hell was going on. Obama by his own statements didn't know some recent history about some things. I can't remember exactly but I do remember saying to myself that he better read a little more. My son is the same age as Obama but he is more astute about history and politics than Obama.

[From The Left]

7. Another vaguely racist comment by a Hillbot

Flush

[Captain Hilts]

8. You don't "clear" first ladies as you do others. It is assumed. nt

[From The Left]

9. That is a lie. Security Clearances are never "assumed." Talk about desperate

[Captain Hilts]

11. That's how it works in that case. nt

[high density]

10. Assume?

Sorry but our government doesn't seem to "assume" these sorts of things.

[Captain Hilts]

12. HRC doesn't have to sit down and fill out forms. Same reason Rove still has his. Up to the Prez.

To be frank, I'd like a tighter control of information in the White House. Aids and family. But the Prez has total discretion on who around him knows what. I don't like it either.

I was hoping the FBI files "scandal" would result in a set policy on who can request and see what, but it didn't. It's pretty loose in the White House and always has been. It's a judgment call. And it shouldn't be.

Eleanor Roosevelt jumped through hoops to avoid knowing many things specifically because she knew it would tighten her security detail and cramp her style. She got a serious security detail after she found out about the Bomb.

[zulchzulu]

13. A hospital receptionist is in a hospital, so she must be a neurosurgeon

Same logic with Hillary and her lack of ANY security clearances...none with the NSA, no access to Presidential Daily Briefings...zip, nada, zero.

[From The Left]

14. HAHAHAHA! Oh well. Let the Hillbots have their fantasy

[democrattotheend]

15. That doesn't mean she didn't play a role

But it also means she can't really claim her years as First Lady as credentials to be Commander in Chief.

I have no doubt that Hillary played an active role in the Clinton White House and that that experience will be valuable to her as president, but I have been saying for a while, before the 3 AM ads, that it was unlikely she was in the White House Situation Room when the president had to deal with military crises.

Travelling to all those countries, even in a symbolic role, is valuable experience, but so is Obama's experience on the streets of Chicago, working with real people and empowering them to advocate for themselves and come up with solutions for their community.