For a while earlier in this current electoral process, a lot of Hillary Clinton's critics on the Right were (somewhat) persistent in asking this deceptively simple question.
Maybe it will come up again, depending-of course largely on more recent developments overseas. But it's got me thinking. About a couple of very basic points, that, practically-speaking either major party has to mostly talk around:
Hillary Clinton has (at least, that I can readily think of) two major accomplishments as Secretary of State. However, as Republicans must know, in both cases, it's not anything she can so readily tout her own direct involvement in. Question is, are people-generally dumb enough not to be able to see through this.
So, just by way of testing the wind, can anyone take a stab of what (more specifically, 2 things in particular) I'm talking about?
What are Hillary Clinton's two biggest accomplishments as Secretary of State? What will, say, a student of AP history spot off knowing about her tenure in 50-60 years' time?
Maybe it will come up again, depending-of course largely on more recent developments overseas. But it's got me thinking. About a couple of very basic points, that, practically-speaking either major party has to mostly talk around:
- Outside of the timely escalation and swift conclusion of a largely successful & popular "war", what do we most typically recognize a good, successful Secretary of State for?
- Particularly in a time immediately following a relative decline in the popularity of both the US & its foreign policy abroad, when actual diplomacy (characterized by values like discretion, sensitivity, secrecy, ect..) were demonstrably supplanted by the "Cowboy-diplomacy" of the Bush era (bluster, braggadocio, and broadcast challenges to adversaries), what are the practical standards for what the State Department's actually doing?
- If responding to provocations by destroying enemies is a 'success', what does it say for intervening upon a situation before it escalates to that point? Getting others to (finally) do some of the heavy lifting or otherwise foot the bill? Or avoiding unnecessary wars altogether?
Hillary Clinton has (at least, that I can readily think of) two major accomplishments as Secretary of State. However, as Republicans must know, in both cases, it's not anything she can so readily tout her own direct involvement in. Question is, are people-generally dumb enough not to be able to see through this.
So, just by way of testing the wind, can anyone take a stab of what (more specifically, 2 things in particular) I'm talking about?
What are Hillary Clinton's two biggest accomplishments as Secretary of State? What will, say, a student of AP history spot off knowing about her tenure in 50-60 years' time?
