The Patriot Post® · Like Obama, Clinton Downplays Foreign Policy

While Barack Obama claims the Islamic State is “contained” in Iraq and Syria, the group has made gains elsewhere. It’s just an attempt from him to run out the clock until the next commander in chief can take over. But what if — heaven forbid — it’s Hillary Clinton? On Tuesday, Clinton spoke about her plan to defeat the Islamic State before an audience at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. If you recall, Minneapolis has had a bit of an Islamic State problem, as some Muslims from the area have tried to leave the United States to join jihadist groups, or have attempted to recruit others. Using the setting of her speech, Clinton managed to reframe the question of the Islamic State from a national security question — like how the Republican field debated it Tuesday — to a domestic issue. NBC News reported that Clinton drew the largest reaction from the crowd when she linked terrorism to gun control. “Terrorists use guns to kill Americans,” she said. “I think we should make it harder for them from to do that.”

The problem is, the Islamic State cannot be treated like a threat just to our nation’s homeland. While Clinton was downplaying the global threat, the Pentagon released a report to Congress that the Islamic State had gained a foothold in Afghanistan. We’re going to go out on a limb and say this development probably isn’t a sign that the country is moving towards stability. Furthermore, a Syrian was arrested in Turkey because he was planning an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, the symbol of American cooperation and goodwill abroad and specifically in that country. As former secretary of state, you’d think Clinton would lean into her foreign policy experience. Instead, she’s running away from her legacy of leveraging “smart power” in the now-unstable Libya.