A top House Democrat and Iraq war veteran has stepped up her attack on Hillary Rodham Clinton, claiming she will get America into poorly thought out wars and be a bad commander-in-chief.
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who left her position as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders, told CNN that Clinton is an “interventionist” who blew it as secretary of State in Iraq, Libya and Syria.
She told CNN Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer, “I do not have confidence in her ability to be a commander-in-chief because she would, as she has stated, continue to take us into these interventionist wars of regime change that have cost our country dearly.”
In the late Monday interview, she said, “Our most important quality in a president is their job as a commander in chief. As a soldier and as a war veteran, I know first hand the cost of war.”
She then added:
Bernie Sanders has good judgment and foresight to be able to make decisions about where America should deploy its military and power and where it shouldn’t deploy its military power.
We see a clear contrast with that with Hillary Clinton who has shown through her record her interventionist, war is regime change. Start with Iraq. She voted for and championed the overthrow of Saddam in Iraq. I did serve in Iraq, and again, I saw the cost of that overseas and we’re still experiencing the cost of that economically here at home.
Number two, Libya. She was the chief architect within the Obama administration to overthrow Gaddafi in Libya. What’s the result? We see a failed state, we see chaos, human suffering, loss of life, and ISIS and al Qaeda having a very strong stronghold there in Libya.
Number three, Syria. She has been a champion for and a strong advocate for the overthrow of the Syrian government of Assad and promises to escalate that war with the so-called no fly zone.
Wolf Blitzer: So you don’t have confidence that she would be a good commander-in-chief?
Gabbard: Her judgement is the issue and as a soldier and veteran, I do not have confidence in her ability to be a commander in chief because she would, as she has stated, continue to take us into these interventionist wars of regime change that have cost our country dearly.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
