Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended President Obama’s foreign policy record Sunday, saying he had “passed with flying colors.”
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Clinton was asked by host David Gregory about her 2008 campaign ad questioning Obama’s ability to respond to international crises.
“Well, let me begin by saying that President Obama has passed with flying colors every leadership challenge,” said Clinton. “I mean look at what he has done. I mean just to name a few things. I mean, you know, we were looking for bin Laden for, you know, like ten years. It was under President Obama's leadership that he was finally eliminated.”
She also pointed to the success of NATO’s air campaign against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, saying that the president had shown “smart leadership.”
Despite congressional opposition, Obama authorized the U.S. involvement in NATO’s campaign to depose the Libyan dictator. Gadhafi was captured and killed by forces allied with Libya’s new transitional government on Thursday.
Clinton also defended Obama’s decision announced Friday to withdraw all American troops from Iraq by the end of the year. She stressed that the U.S. would remain committed to its relationship with Iraq by “having a robust security and training mission accompanied by very large diplomatic presence.”
“I could go on and on. I think this president has demonstrated that, in a still very dangerous world, it's important to have someone at the helm of our country who understands how to manage what is an incredibly complex world now,” she said.
Clinton said she believed Obama’s foreign policy successes would benefit him with voters in the 2012 election. “I think Americans are going to want to know that they have a steady, experienced, smart hand on the tiller of the ship of state,” she said. “And there's no doubt that that's Barack Obama.”
