President-elect Barack Obama is considering Senator Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state, but they exchanged some sharp criticism of their foreign policy stands and credentials during their Democratic primary campaign:
July 2007 Clinton on Obama pledging to meet with leaders of rogue nations such as Iran without preconditions: "I thought that was irresponsible, and frankly naive." October 2007 Obama on Clinton's support for a resolution declaring Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group: "As we learned with the original authorization of the Iraq war - when you give this president a blank check, you can't be surprised when he cashes it. I strongly differ with Senator Hillary Clinton, who was the only Democratic presidential candidate to support this reckless amendment." November 2007 Clinton on Obama's experience: "Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next president will face. I think we need a president with more experience than that - someone the rest of the world knows, looks up to, and has confidence in." December 2007 Obama on Clinton's tenure as first lady: "My experience is grounded in understanding how the world sees America, from living overseas and traveling overseas and having family beyond our shores. It's that experience, that understanding, and not just what world leader I went and talked to in the ambassador's house, who I had tea with." February 2008, Clinton on Obama's vow to attack terrorists in Pakistan if Pakistan would not: "He wavers from seeming to believe that mediation and meetings without preconditions can solve some of the world's most intractable problems to advocating rash, unilateral military action without the cooperation of our allies in the most sensitive part of the world." March 2008 Obama adviser Greg Craig on Clinton's assertion of foreign policy accomplishments as first lady: "I think it's exaggeration. It's inflated résumé. It's in that category." April 2008 Obama on his credentials: "Foreign policy is the area where I am probably most confident that I know more and understand the world better than Senator Clinton or Senator McCain."Clinton's reply: "Well I'm somewhat shocked by that since I don't see any evidence of it. . . . I'm speechless. Making an assertion like that belies the facts and the record."
SOURCE: News reports
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