In the wake of several high-profile hacks of government databases by China in the last several months, Hillary Clinton went after Beijing over the weekend with some pretty hard words.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accused China on Saturday of stealing commercial secrets and “huge amounts of government information,” and of trying to “hack into everything that doesn’t move in America.”
Clinton’s language on China appeared to be far stronger than that usually used by President Barack Obama’s Democratic administration.
Speaking at a campaign event in New Hampshire, Clinton said she wanted to see China’s peaceful rise.
“But we also have to be fully vigilant, China’s military is growing very quickly, they’re establishing military installations that again threaten countries we have treaties with, like the Philippines because they are building on contested property,” said Clinton, who was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
“They’re also trying to hack into everything that doesn’t move in America. Stealing commercial secrets … from defense contractors, stealing huge amounts of government information, all looking for an advantage,” she said.
It's not like Clinton lacks details of, experience with, or access to US foreign policy information on China or anything, but this seems very belligerent even for Clinton's normal rhetoric.
On the other hand, China hacking US government databases isn't exactly fluffy rainbow kitten unicorn time, either. I'm just not sure how much we can (literally) afford to piss of China and its huge market of consumers.
In the same speech, Clinton had some pretty hawkish words about President Obama's Iran deal as well.
Clinton also addressed the current talks over Iran’s nuclear program and had strong words for Tehran.
She said that even if a deal is reached with Iran, Tehran’s “aggressiveness will not end” and it will remain a principal state sponsor of terrorism.
Clinton said she hoped that “a strong verifiable deal” would be reached at talks in Vienna between world powers and Iran.
But she added that even with an agreement, “They will continue to be the principal state sponsor of terrorism. They will continue to destabilize governments in the region and beyond. They will continue to use their proxies like Hezbollah. And they will continue to be an existential threat to Israel.”
OK, if she considers Iran an existential threat to Israel, then 1) I can see why nothing happened via Iran/America while she was at State and 2) I have to ask if Clinton, as President, would even both to honor anything President Obama came up with as a deal.
This is the kind of talk I expect to hear from Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush, and it was talk like this on Iraq that assured I didn't vote for her in the primary here in Kentucky in 2008 (not that it made much difference).
You would think the last seven years would have tempered her inner hawk. If she's still on this hard line, then there will be problems.
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Her words are strong, yes....but I don't see her calling for all-out war. That's something that is heard far too frequently on the GOP side. That said, yes, this was tough talk--but there is still time left and she could very well soften her language.
On the other hand, watch some of the anti-Hillary crowd on the Left go nuts. Expect to hear sneers, jeers, and more claims that Hillary is the worst thing ever and her and Obama are warmongers so that's why we need to pull the lever for Bernie.
It seems to me that Secretary Clinton understands that we live in a complicated world. Full stop.
The squeals that Clinton/Obama are (not so crypto) Republican warmongers are merely agitprop shibboleths on the part of the gibbering idiot left: they rest on nothing, they mean nothing, they portend nothing.
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