New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has criticized the Bush administration's foreign policy at length.
Photo: AP
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Hillary Clinton Takes Russia On Board
// In her campaign fight with the Republicans
Democratic Senator from New York Hillary Clinton made a speech on Tuesday on U.S. foreign policy and explained how the United States' foreign relations would be conducted if the Democrats come to power. She demanded a return to “internationalism” from “isolationism” and called Russia and China hindrances to that policy for contradicting the “global imperative.” Clinton is being called the informal leader of the democrats and candidate for president in 2008.
Hillary Clinton's appearance at the influential New York-based nongovernmental organization the Council on Foreign Relations differed notably from statements made by other Democrats in the lead-up to the November 7 congressional elections. The NY senator and wife of former president Bill Clinton is considered the favorite in her campaigning for a second six-year term against Republic John Spencer, who seems to be given poor chances even by his own party. Making her expectation of imminent victory clear, Clinton mentioned her presidential ambitions and devoted her appearance not to criticism of individual policies of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, as her fellow party members are doing, but to U.S. foreign policy as a whole.
Clinton called the Bush administration's foreign policy doctrine a failure and made her own prescriptions for returning America to the position it has lost internationally. She identified the main strategic task for the U.S. as getting out of the isolationism preached by the Republicans and returning to “American internationalism,” the principle of greater U.S. involvement in world affairs that is considered the traditional characteristic of Democratic administrations in the White House. According to Clinton's speech, the Democrats differ with the Republicans over “threats and challenges” to U.S. foreign policy such as terrorism, North Korea and Iran's nuclear ambitions. She added to that standard list the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the threat of civil war in Iraq, thus bringing up the two greatest weak spots in the current administration's foreign policy.
It is notable that Clinton spoke about Russia as well, reminding her audience of the argument between Republicans and Democrats at the end of Bill Clinton's administration over “who lost Russia.” When speaking of “threats and challenges,” Clinton listed Moscow and Beijing among them for contradicting “global imperatives.” That does not mean, of course, that new confrontations between Moscow and Washington would be in store if the Democrats come to power in the U.S. Clinton blames Bush and his administration for the growing gap in understanding between the U.S. and Russia. She admitted that it would be impossible to solve key problems in the UN Security Council without an “improved atmosphere” in the dialog with Russia and China, adding that those countries would have to play an active role in the reform of the UN that the Democrats see as unavoidable.
Observers say that Clinton's foreign policy positions are especially important in light of her growing political clout. She is already seen as the informal leader of the Democrats and a likely candidate for president in 2008. A number of events to advance her candidacy took place in New York simultaneously with her 59th birthday celebrations. Her husband the former president took part in those events. The New York Times, which has been steadfastly critical of Hillary Clinton, published an editorial on Monday endorsing her Senate reelection bid. Six years ago, that newspaper appealed to her with the simple and unambiguous request “Don't run!” “Are you surprised?” the paper asks its readers about its change of heart. “We are a little surprised too. But there is no real choice in this race.”
U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney said of Clinton in an interview with the Fox News network that “I disagree with her on practically all issues, but no one should underestimate her. She is a very serious candidate for president… I think she could win.”
Sergey Strokan
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 02, 2006
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