158 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 81 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 7/9/15

Hillary's Neocon Legacy: Coups, Dictators, Corruption, Chaos, Executions and Assassination

By       (Page 1 of 4 pages)   19 comments

David William Pear
Follow Me on Twitter     Message David William Pear
Become a Fan
  (61 fans)

Was Hillary Clinton a Good Secretary of State?
Was Hillary Clinton a Good Secretary of State?
(Image by Politico.com)
  Details   DMCA

Hillary Clinton has on her liberal mask. She is all smiles and is trying hard to "out Bernie" Bernie Sanders. She is hitting all the populist talking points about helping others: Immigration, campaign finance reform, voting rights, gay marriage, economic equality, and middle class families. But she has accumulated a lot of baggage over her political career of 40 years.

Hillary and the main stream media have forgotten early scandals such as Whitewater, cattle futures trading, and trying to take the White House furniture when she and Bill moved out in 2001.

Hillary also now wants to escape responsibility for Bill Clinton's presidency, although she embraced it in 2008. She wants us to forgive her when she nostalgically uses Bill's lingering popularity; after all she is a politician. Just do not bring up slashing welfare, deregulating Wall Street, NAFTA, the Defense of Marriage Act, Don't Ask Don't tell, "Slick Willy", the meaning of "is", and the blue dress.

Hillary and Bill
Hillary and Bill
(Image by Zimbo)
  Details   DMCA

Hillary has her own track record now. She was a Senator from New York for eight years (2001-2009). She voted in favor of both the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hillary said she did not bother to read what the national intelligence estimates (N.I.E.) actually said before voting for an illegal war of aggression against Iraq for non-existent weapons of mass destruction. One questions if she knew then what she should have known then---then would she still have voted for the illegal invasion of Iraq?

Maybe by 2006 Senator Clinton had gotten around to reading the fine print in the NIE, because she opposed "Secretary of War" Robert Gate's "surge" in Iraq which cost 1,000 American lives and many thousands more Iraqi lives. Or maybe she opposed the "surge" just for political reasons, as Gates has said in his memoir. Hillary was at the time about to announce her 2008 candidacy for president.

From Hillary's career at the Rose Law Firm to Senator from New York she has escaped from one scandal to another. But as Secretary of State there are more serious matters than her hiding her failures to provide adequate security in Benghazi, and hiding her emails.

Honduras

In 2009 Hillary showed what she really means by "smart power" and backed the military coup in Honduras over the democratically elected president, Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was getting too close to Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and neocons such as Hillary feared another left-wing government in Latin America.

Military coup leaders seized President Zelaya in the middle of the night and flew him to exile in Costa Rico. First they stopped at a U.S. military base, SOUTHCOM Joint Task Force-Bravo. Hillary said it was a "surprise visit".

Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives at Armando Escalon Airbase in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on June 1, 2009--just weeks before the military coup.
Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives at Armando Escalon Airbase in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on June 1, 2009--just weeks before the military coup.
(Image by Photo: US Department of State)
  Details   DMCA

Demands by both the Organization of American States and the United Nations for the immediate restoration of President Zelaya were ignored. Instead after the coup, as Hillary wrote in her book Hard Choices:

"I spoke with my counterparts around the hemisphere. We strategized on a plan to restore order in Honduras and ensure that free and fair elections could be held quickly and legitimately, which would render the question of Zelaya moot."

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 10   Well Said 5   Supported 5  
Rate It | View Ratings

David William Pear Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

David is a columnist writing on foreign affairs, economic, and political and social issues. He is an honorary Associate Editor of The Greanville Post, and a former Senior Editor of OpEdNews.com. His articles have been published by OpEdNews, The (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

US War with Russia Authorized by House Resolution 758.

Trump is Not America's Real Problem

Syria: Has Putin Called Obama's Bluff?

Reply to Paul Craig Roberts' Question: "Is White Genocide Possible?"

Venezuela Under Siege by U.S. Empire

Donald Trump Has Been Played Like a Violin

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend