Sanders: Henry Kissinger is not my friend

[Mike4Freedom]

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/kissinger-is-not-my-friend-042515642.html

MILWAUKEE — On foreign policy, Bernie Sanders does not go after Hillary Clinton with policy precision; he attacks her credibility with red-meat heaves attractive to the liberal base.

In Thursday night’s Democratic debate, Sanders repeated one of his trademark attacks — and one that worked for Barack Obama in 2008 against Clinton — that he opposed the Iraq War and she did not. But he went further in drawing a binary and philosophical contrast by reminding viewers of Clinton’s comments from last week’s debate, that she was “very flattered” to get praise from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Kissinger, who served under Pres. Richard Nixon and Pres. Gerald Ford, is maligned especially among Democrats for his handling of the Vietnam War and for leading a foreign policy that his critics believed undermined democratic governments around the world, while supporting dictatorships that promoted human rights violations.

And while the reference might not have resonated with the under-30 demographic that Sanders dominated in Iowa and New Hampshire, it was a reductive, symbolically potent bit for baby boomers who may be undecided or unsure of Clinton’s overall worldview. It echoed criticism that emerged on liberal-leaning websites last week at the time of her original remarks.

“I am proud to say that Henry Kissinger is not my friend, and I will not take advice from him on foreign policy,“ Sanders said, calling him the “most destructive” secretary of state in American history
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Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during an interview in New York in the summer of 2015. (Photo: Richard Drew/AP)

Sanders’ team may have felt it missed an opportunity to hit Clinton on Kissinger when she brought up the controversial diplomat at last week’s debate. But this time they were ready. In fact, the campaign issued a press release within seconds of the exchange, listing 13 “egregious acts” he committed in his tenure, including allegations of launching an illegal war in Cambodia and supporting apartheid in South Africa (later in the debate Clinton name-dropped the late South African president Nelson Mandela as one of the figures in politics she respected the most).

Clinton defended her interactions and comments on Kissinger by saying that as secretary of state she listened to a variety of voices and opinions, weighing some more than others. She also questioned whether Sanders takes foreign policy issues seriously, citing recent media reports that said the one aide he referred to as an adviser only had briefed him once.

"I don’t know who you get your foreign policy advice from,” Clinton quipped.

“Well, it ain’t Henry Kissinger,” Sanders replied.

It’s unclear whether re-litigating American foreign policy from 40 years ago will resonate with voters, but Clinton and her campaign obviously believe foreign policy is her strength and any quick move towards that advantage is likely to frustrate the candidate and team who have prioritized showcasing her nuanced and broad grasp of issues she tackled as secretary of state.

 

[fisharmor]

It's seriously getting to the point where I can almost overlook all the socialism.

 

[Brett85]

It's seriously getting to the point where I can almost overlook all the socialism.

That's not surprising, because it's basically gotten to the point where the liberty movement is a one issue movement, where it's only the foreign policy issues that matter and nothing else.

 

[The Gold Standard]

That's good that Kissinger is not his friend and won't be advising him on foreign policy. What isn't good is who are his friends and will be advising him on foreign policy. The bankers that buy the flood of government bonds he will be putting out there will be his advisers. That's much better I'm sure.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

That's not surprising, because it's basically gotten to the point where the liberty movement is a one issue movement, where it's only the foreign policy issues that matter and nothing else.

for me its always been the federal reserve

 

[specsaregood]

for me its always been the federal reserve

ditto.
But even in regards to foreign policy, that entails a lot more than just war and I'm pretty positive Sanders is all about us continuing to give billions in foreign aid we don't have to other countries. (I would be happy to be proven wrong on that however).

 

[Chieppa1]

That's not surprising, because it's basically gotten to the point where the liberty movement is a one issue movement, where it's only the foreign policy issues that matter and nothing else.

Because the foreign policy is all that matters. Empires collapse because they are empires. The amount of domestic welfare won't be what destroys this country first. It is the huge empire spending that everyone in this election cycle (other than Rand) is ignoring.

It's always been about the FED and war for me.

 

[AuH20]

That's not surprising, because it's basically gotten to the point where the liberty movement is a one issue movement, where it's only the foreign policy issues that matter and nothing else.

Foreign policy eventually comes home. Just a word from the wise.

 

[Brett85]

Because the foreign policy is all that matters. Empires collapse because they are empires. The amount of domestic welfare won't be what destroys this country first. It is the huge empire spending that everyone in this election cycle (other than Rand) is ignoring.

It's always been about the FED and war for me.

Fair enough, but I haven't heard Bernie Sanders advocate closing down foreign bases and bringing our troops home. If Sanders were more in line with Dennis Kucinish then I could understand libertarians supporting him despite his socialism.

 

[Brett85]

Foreign policy eventually comes home. Just a word from the wise.

It's also possible to live in peace but still live in slavery. Simply having peace wouldn't mean that we would be free.

 

[hells_unicorn]

Any liberty movement member that votes for Bernie Sanders is a moron, and I feel absolutely no reason to elaborate as to why because it is so painfully obvious that it should be smacking everyone upside the head.

 

[P3ter_Griffin]

I saw a tweet last night from a Bernie supporter that said something to the nature of 'My dad likes Kissinger, and he's voting for Ted Cruz'.

 

[fisharmor]

That's not surprising, because it's basically gotten to the point where the liberty movement is a one issue movement, where it's only the foreign policy issues that matter and nothing else.

If we hadn't spent the last four years being yelled at about how we have to support someone who is not really libertarian on foreign policy issues, maybe it wouldn't have shaken out this way.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I saw a tweet last night from a Bernie supporter that said something to the nature of 'My dad likes Kissinger, and he's voting for Ted Cruz'.

 

[AuH20]

Bernie was talking about how Kissinger helped send our jobs overseas to China. However, Bernie should ask himself about the impetus that forced our manufacturing base to fall to the dark side. He may not like the answer.

 

[Mike4Freedom]

Any liberty movement member that votes for Bernie Sanders is a moron, and I feel absolutely no reason to elaborate as to why because it is so painfully obvious that it should be smacking everyone upside the head.

100% agreed. Vote liberty or stay home.

 

[RandallFan]

South Africa is ironic, considering they didn't want to feel the bern of Mandela's neck tyres & socialism in the home of the world's gold resources.

 

[Cabal]

His friends are the likes of Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao.