The White House backed away from Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes’ assessment that Washington’s foreign policy establishment, including Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, is a “blob.”
Spokesman Josh Earnest said he wasn’t sure what Rhodes meant when he made that comment to the New York Times, in which Rhodes included Clinton in the “blob” of people who offer foreign policy advice. “I’m not even sure what that means,” Earnest said.
But Earnest did indicate that Clinton is part of the group trying to wean Washington, D.C., off of the “foreign policy establishment.” He said Obama has relied on and benefited from the advice of veteran foreign policy experts within his administration, such as Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
“President Obama has worked hard to implement a foreign policy that he believes strongly advance the interest of the United States around the globe but doesn’t just rely on the conventional wisdom of the foreign policy establishment in Washington, D.C., Earnest said.
Earnest knocked that “establishment” for relying too heavily on the military and exercising the military option to quickly.
“They often use the military option prematurely,” Earnest said, even as he dodged remarks that Clinton supported the Iraq War.
