But in the wake of a performance at Wednesday night’s NBC “Commander-in-Chief Forum” that some observers saw as sub-par, Clinton appeared to have decided it was finally time to meet the demands of her press corps. But both candidates hit some rough patches that are driving Thursday’s conversation.
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“We did not lose a single American in that action”, Clinton said Wednesday night. While she may be referring to the 2011 military intervention specifically, the claim more broadly is not true. Both candidates believe they have the upper hand, with Clinton contrasting her experience with Trump’s unpredictability and the Republican arguing that Americans anxious about their safety will be left with more of the same if they elect Obama’s former secretary of state. Then, in what was ostensibly an answer to a question about ISIS, Trump observed that under President Obama, “the generals have been reduced to rubble”. Jezebel: “Matt Lauer to Hillary Clinton: How Will You Defeat ISIS And Don’t Talk So Much”. “I think when he calls me brilliant, I think I’ll take the compliment, okay?”
Trump also said he appreciated kind words from Putin for Trump.
Asked whether he’d be comfortable with Trump as president, Ryan demurred, “I’ll leave it at that”. “That’s not only risky but it should be disqualifying”, Clinton said. “There are many people that think that that’s absolutely correct”.
The Republican also renewed his praise for Putin and his disdain for President Barack Obama, saying that the Russian enjoyed an 82 percent approval rating and arguing that “it’s a very different system and I don’t happen to like the system, but certainly, in that system, he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader”.
“Hillary has been a staunch supporter of the military her entire adult life”, Wilson said. But given Trump’s demonstrated willingness to state things that are not true (something Clinton does too, though nowhere near as often), the debates will be no more useful to voters than a “he said, she said” argument unless the candidates are held accountable somehow. He also said that an alliance with Putin would help defeat the Islamic State.
Trump has repeatedly claimed he was a staunch opponent of the Iraq War, which is not true. The only problem? In an interview with Howard Stern in 2002, he said he supported it.
“She’s a very compassionate person, but at the same time, she’s very decisive”, Wilson said of Clinton. “The Iraq War began in March 2003, more than a year before this story ran, thus nullifying Trump’s timeline”, Esquire wrote. Trump said when asked to defend some of Putin’s aggressions on the world stage.
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Clinton, during her segment, brought up the fact that Trump had been for the war: “He refuses to take responsibility for his support. That is a judgment issue”.
