# Is Hillary's record as Secretary of State good enough to run on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 23, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520 "2013-09-23T16:06:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/1 "2013-09-23T16:06:56Z")
I’ve been trying to think of any achievements during Hillary’s tenure as Secretary of State. I’m not having much success. I’ve been a Clinton supporter most of my life. I’m just not sure about Hillary. The Benghazi attack was so terribly mishandled and we did not see decisive leadership from our Secretary of State. Heads should have been rolling within the state department and the truth brought out. Why was our Libya ambassador left so terribly undefended and vulnerable? That didn’t happen and the fault lies squarely on Hillary. If she can’t lead the state dept, then how could she lead a nation? Are there any notable achievements during her tenure? Did she help or harm her political future? I haven’t made my mind up about her. But the instant CYA attitude around Benghazi bothers me. I think it could be an insurmountable obstacle for her. The failure to lead in a crises is troubling. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/2 "2013-09-23T16:16:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Heads should have been rolling within the state department You know she addressed this, right? Some people (four of them, I think) were placed on leave. That was all she could do. > [@](#): > > Why was our Libya ambassador left so terribly undefended and vulnerable? That didn’t happen and the fault lies squarely on Hillary. That is definitely what Republicans want you to say. The truth is a little more complicated. That said, she came very close to being elected based on who she was and what she’d done before she was secretary of state. It’s hard to conclude that four years as secretary of state would be a _minus_ compared to her time in the Senate and everything else she ran on in 2008. And of course you can run on whatever you want. Michele Bachmann ran on general insanity and Herman Cain ran on his experience running a pizza chain that most people seem to agree is awful. Will voters decide it’s good enough to give her the nomination? They might, especially since she was pretty popular in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/3 "2013-09-23T16:22:58Z")
My main hesitation about voting for her last time was uncertainty whether she was her own candidate, or if electing her would basically be Bill’s third term. Her stint as SoS firmly established her independent credentials. The entire Benghazi “scandal” is right-wing bullshit, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/4 "2013-09-23T16:30:24Z")
Hillary Clinton has firmly established her political acumen in my opinion. If there’s anything that makes me disinclined to support her as a candidate, it would be that she is rather conservative for a democrat. Obama ran on a moderate but still left of Hillary campaign in 2008 and he has left a very sour taste in my mouth with his slide towards a more autocratic conservatism. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/5 "2013-09-23T16:31:03Z")
The confusion is what role does the Secretary of State play in the state department? Is that person simply attached to it? Or are they in charge and lead it? Bureaucracy plays a big part. Theres a complex chain of command. But I expected Hillary to take charge and lead an investigation. Perhaps even extend her tenure by a year to implement changes. Natural leaders take charge in a crises. They don’t sidestep that responsibility. Especially someone with thirty years experience in state and Federal experience. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/6 "2013-09-23T16:44:58Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I expected Hillary to take charge and lead an investigation. She did. The State Department began a review of the attack in October 2012 and delivered a report in December, which is before she left. There were several other inquiries from Congress and the FBI is also investigating. > [@](#): > > Natural leaders take charge in a crises. They don’t sidestep that responsibility. Especially someone with thirty years experience in state and Federal experience. There’s plenty of room for criticism here, but I get the sense you’re commenting on Clinton based on vague impressions and didn’t bother to check before you started saying she failed to lead or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/7 "2013-09-23T16:52:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I haven’t made my mind up about her. Of course not. 😉 > [@](#): > > But the instant CYA attitude around Benghazi bothers me. I think it could be an insurmountable obstacle for her. The failure to lead in a crises is troubling. The people who buy the Fox version of events aren’t going to vote for her anyway. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/8 "2013-09-23T16:53:24Z")
I remember Hillary’s promise on an investigation. The people put on unpaid leave. But never heard the results of that investigation or whats been done to strengthen security. I just didn’t see a firm hand in charge. Instead we get House hearings thats gone nowhere and politicized it. I hope she can get this issue resolved during the campaign. Hillary has a lot to offer as President. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/9 "2013-09-23T16:53:24Z")
I really don’t see a basis to criticize Clinton for the Benghazi attack, or follow up. Bad things happen from time to time in international relations. I don’t see a failure of leadership here. What would people suggest should have been done differently? Is Chuck Hagel on the hot seat for the Navy Yard shooting? A lot more Americans died there than Benghazi. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/10 "2013-09-23T16:59:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I remember Hillary’s promise on an investigation. The people put on unpaid leave. But never heard the results of that investigation or whats been done to strengthen security. I just didn’t see a firm hand in charge. > > Instead we get House hearings thats gone nowhere and politicized it. > > I hope she can get this issue resolved during the campaign. Hillary has a lot to offer as President. Really, you claim you’re a clinton supporter, but it sounds like you heard something bad about her, then decided she was terrible based on the fact that you didn’t pay attention to all the follow-up she did. Or you want to blame her for an attack, which was not her fault, and moreover, the lack of security was due to republicans that cut the embassy security budget. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/11 "2013-09-23T17:00:23Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I remember Hillary’s promise on an investigation. The people put on unpaid leave. But never heard the results of that investigation Try Google! I’ll even give you a hint: state department accountability review board. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/12 "2013-09-23T17:05:05Z")
I’ll research this then. Thanks. Back to the OP. Are there any positive achievements from her tenure? Anything she can use during her next run? If she decides to run. ---
**Author:** ![Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/13 "2013-09-23T17:48:02Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Are there any positive achievements from her tenure? Anything she can use during her next run? If she decides to run. None that will persuade you. Really, everything about her political career is fully documented and just a click away. If you really can’t decide between her and a hypothetical alternative candidate then you aren’t ‘undecided’. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/14 "2013-09-23T17:56:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ll research this then. Thanks. > > Back to the OP. Are there any positive achievements from her tenure? Anything she can use during her next run? If she decides to run. > [@](#): > > Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee and possible future presidential contender himself, lauded both Hillary and Bill Clinton on NBC’s Meet the Press, arguing, “Look, if we had a Clinton presidency, if we had Erskine Bowles as Chief of Staff of the White House or president of the United States, I think we would have fixed this fiscal mess by now. That’s not the kind of presidency we’re dealing with right now.” [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-34222\_162-57566061-10391739/bipartisan-praise-for-hillary-clinton-as-she-moves-on/](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-34222_162-57566061-10391739/bipartisan-praise-for-hillary-clinton-as-she-moves-on/) > [@](#): > > “I think she did a fine job,” he said of Clinton’s performance as Secretary of State despite the scandal surrounding the Benghazi terror attack. > > “She’s a rock star. She has, maybe not glamour, but certainly the aura of someone widely regarded throughout the world. I do think it is interesting that the issues where John Kerry is engaging is where Hillary Clinton did not engage in, that those decisions were left to the White House and the National Security Council,” he added. > > “When Hillary Clinton versus Rand Paul occurs in 2016, I guess you are going to have to decide who to vote for, huh?” the New Republic asked McCain. > > “It’s gonna be a tough choice,” he said, laughing. > **[StockBot by Examiner.com - Stock Examiner bot by Examiner.com](https://examiner.com)** > > Discover Stock Examiner, the AI-powered chatbot delivering instant, interactive stock charts, real-time financials, breaking news, stock screeners, and more—all in one seamless experience. > [@](#): > > [From Condi Rice]“I think she’s done a fine job. The problem isn’t Hilary Clinton, who’s great,” Rice said to members of Ohio’s delegation to the Republican National Convention. > **[Condi Rice Praises Hillary Clinton, Hits Obama](https://atlantablackstar.com/2012/08/29/condi-rice-praises-hillary-clinton-hits-obama/)** > > Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice managed to praise her successor Hillary Clinton while at the same time criticizing her boss, President Obama for Even “warm” words from Dick Cheney: [quote“I have a sense that she is one of the more competent members of the current administration and it would be interesting to speculate about how she might perform were she to be president,” he said.[/quote] > **[Dick Cheney praises Hillary Clinton](https://dailycaller.com/2011/09/04/dick-cheney-praises-hillary-clinton/#ixzz2fjvJKY3G)** > > Dick Cheney praises Hillary Clinton | Former vice president says current Secretary of State 'might have been easier' to work with if she had been president So, quite a few Republicans think she’s aces. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/15 "2013-09-23T21:02:34Z")
I think she’s was a great SOS and her popularity during that time supports that. She’s definitely worthy of being the next president. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/16 "2013-09-23T21:19:28Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I remember Hillary’s promise on an investigation. The people put on unpaid leave. But never heard the results of that investigation or whats been done to strengthen security. I just didn’t see a firm hand in charge. > > Instead we get House hearings thats gone nowhere and politicized it. > > I hope she can get this issue resolved during the campaign. Hillary has a lot to offer as President. Four people were put on paid administrative leave and have been reassigned, but are still employed by the State Dept. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/17 "2013-09-23T22:38:29Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Four people were put on paid administrative leave and have been reassigned, but are still employed by the State Dept. That makes me want her as president even more. She didn’t bow to shitty political pressure to make someone pay for a mistake that couldn’t be avoided. I’m still miffed that the Obama administration had to ask for the resignation of that lady who said was quoted out of context about the white farmers. I’m glad Hillary didn’t do that shit, nobody at the State Department deserves to be disciplined for Benghazi because it was unavoidable ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/18 "2013-09-23T23:04:12Z")
This seems like a good time to examine Hillary’s record before the next political race heats up. I voted for Clinton every term for his gubernatorial races and his presidential races. He’s the favorite son that did well. Something of a rarity in Arkansas. We recently had the dubious distinction of being 2nd to last in the poverty scale. We’re not much better on the education rating either. That doesn’t mean Hillary automatically gets my vote. I’ll look at all the candidates in both parties first. I particularly look for leadership and a clear vision for a Presidency. Someone that knows what they want to do, can articulate it, and knows how to get it done. Like it or not Benghazi will be an issue. Perhaps even raised by other Democrats in the primary. She better have her response carefully planned and rehearsed. She’s got two years to prepare. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/19 "2013-09-23T23:16:12Z")
I’m not sure I’d vote for Hillary either. But, there is nothing about Benghazi that even gives me pause about her qualifications or character. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520/20 "2013-09-23T23:38:13Z")
The OP may wish to go back and reread the previous threads on Bengazi, as his statements about the consulate and ambassador’s security, why the ambassador was where he was, who generated the follow-on hysteria and why, and what was subsequently done, are unsupportable by the facts. These questions have all been answered extensively and it’s pointless to start a new thread concerning them. You should stick to discussing the question asked in the thread title. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-hillarys-record-as-secretary-of-state-good-enough-to-run-on/669520.md?page=2)