Andrea Mitchell made Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s arguments in absentia while questioning Republican candidate for president Carly Fiorina during an interview Wednesday on MSNBC.
“You were really the breakout star according to all reports” from Iowa last week “especially when you went after Hillary Clinton. Is that because you are the only woman in the Republican field, that you feel enabled to go after her?” asked Mitchell.
“It’s interesting, I come from a world where titles are just titles, and talk is just talk,” replied Fiorina. “It’s only in politics where titles and words mean a lot. In the rest of the world, it’s actually about what have you done; actions speak louder than words. People want to know are your words and your actions consistent and are they consistent over time. … People expect basic questions to be asked of anyone running for president: What have you done? Are you trustworthy? Are you transparent? Will you answer questions?”
“She’s had a lifetime, though, in public service,” said Mitchell, as she rattled off a list of Hillary’s achievements.
“Going back to before she was first lady in Arkansas, she can argue that she’s got a record on women’s issues from the Beijing Women’s conference, to all of her work with the Children’s Defense fund, going up through the Senate, senator from New York – that’s a record, secretary of state,” said Mitchell. Then with a hint of incredulity: “How do you compare yourself to her?”
Hillary has “said many wonderful things … and she has without a doubt been a role model,” said Fiorina. “It’s also true that as secretary of state she took women’s rights and human rights off the table for discussion with China. It’s also true as secretary of state that she called Bashar al Assad a positive reformer. It’s also true that in 2011, when she was secretary of state, she said that Iraq was a ‘free, stable, sovereign nation’ … it’s true that she said that she could ‘reset our … relationship’ with Russia.”
“I think all those things I just named go fundamentally to what is her track record,” said Fiorina with a shrug.
“You could also argue that a lot of Republicans in the White House and in Congress supported those policies,” said Mitchell.
“That’s right, and by the way, every single Republican candidate has been asked about their vote for the war in Iraq,” Fiorina replied. “The one person who’s not been asked that question, because she won’t answer the question, is Hillary Clinton. The one person who was on the job in 2011 when Iraq started to fall apart was not the Republican nominees or candidates for president, it’s Hillary Clinton. She hasn’t been asked yet: What would she do now in Iraq?”
“She actually was asked,” interjected Mitchell. “And she did say last week in New Hampshire that it was a mistake, her vote in Iraq, she wrote that in her book. So she has spoken about that in New Hampshire and in Iowa.”
“She hasn’t said what happened from 2011, when both she and President Obama declared victory in Iraq,” Fiorina shot back. “They declared victory in Iraq in 2011. She was the secretary of state. No one is declaring victory in Iraq now. What happened? What would she do?” said Fiorina.
“What would you do now against ISIS?” asked Mitchell.
Watch the clip for Fiorina’s “very specific” answer.
