Hillary Clinton took aim at Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy focus while speaking at the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines on Monday, just seven days before the Iowa caucus.
During the primary, the former secretary of state has often played up her foreign policy credentials especially since her opponent, Bernie Sanders, is often criticized for not speaking about foreign policy enough on the campaign trail. More recently, she has started criticizing the substance of his foreign policy.
“When you’re on the White House you can’t pick the challenges you want to work on, you have to be ready for every challenge that comes your way,” Clinton said at the opening of her speech.
She also emphasized the importance of the American-Israeli partnership as the world faces threats from the Middle East, specifically from Iran and the Islamic State.
“The alliance between the United States and israel is more important than ever in his time of turbulence and turmoil,” Clinton told the majority Jewish audience in Iowa, emphasizing that “we cannot take this relationship for granted.”
While Clinton supported the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, she told the audience that the United States should proceed with caution in the relationship and “distrust but verify.” She also explained that the Islamic State poses a threat not just to Israel and the Middle East but the entire world, arguing the United States and Israel should work together to “go after the tide of extremism.”
With one week to go until the caucus in the Hawkeye state, polls show Clinton losing her lead to Sanders.
