Hillary Clinton and Foreign Policy

Dear Friends,

I have long been concerned about the hawkish, interventionist foreign policy of Secretary Clinton.  In an essay in The New York Times this morning entitled "The Real Threat to Hillary Clinton" Jacob Heilbrunn (here) posits that the real threat to Secretary Clinton's bid for the Presidency is not Senator Warren but former Senator Jim Webb from Virginia.  I know very little about Senator Webb, but I intend to find out more.  Mr. Heilbrunn describes him

as a Vietnam War hero, former secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, novelist and opponent of endless wars in the Middle East.

He was an outspoken critic of President George W. Bush's wars, asked the question, "Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years?" and voted against the Iraq war.  Secretary Clinton, on the other hand voted for the Iraq war.  Senator Webb's foreign policy views have been very consistent with his first hand knowledge of the horrors of war, while Secretary Clinton continues to try to move her views around to suit her perceived needs.  Secretary Clinton's record is clear that she is a hawk and an interventionist.

Senator Webb's views are certainly not perfect as he was a strong proponent of the coal industry while in the United States Senate, but if Senator Webb fully jumps into the race for the Democratic nomination, perhaps we can have a real debate about foreign policy and perhaps he will prove to be a viable alternative to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal