“What Difference does it Make ” Iraq casts shadow over Clinton
By Alexander Bolton – 06/14/14 06:00 AM EDT
The growing crisis and threat of all-out civil war in Iraq has cast a cloud over Hillary Clinton’s book tour touting her accomplishments as secretary of State.
The release of “Hard Choices” was supposed to remind people of the foreign policy credentials she burnished in the Obama administration.
ADVERTISEMENT
On Tuesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest even said Clinton’s greatest accomplishments at the State Department included ending the war in Iraq and “decimating and destroying” al Qaeda.
But those résumé bullet points are now up for debate as Iraq has erupted in violence and insurgents linked to al Qaeda have captured four cities, including Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest metropolitan center.
“It’s going to be a problem for her starting now,” Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer said of the country’s collapsing stability.
“You have the White House three days ago talking about one of her greatest accomplishment was eradicating al Qaeda in Iraq. One of her greatest accomplishments was winding down war in Iraq. Forty-eight hours later we’re dealing with a situation where we’re talking about how to best help eradicate an al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq,” he said.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/international/209386-iraq-casts-shadow-on-clintons-book-tour#ixzz34dqt5tom