Hillary Clinton's National Security Session: In the Room Where It Happens

Hillary Clinton convened a bipartisan panel of experts on national security at the New York Historical Society today.  The group included those who have made policy and those who have implemented policies for a broad-based discussion of threats and how we deal with them.




After the meeting, Hillary held a press briefing.




I made sure to include a few pics of Hillary smiling for Reince Priebus.  She was talking about deadly serious issues, but she is personable with the press.


The issue of the North Korean nuclear test arose in the press briefing after the meeting.

Statement From Hillary Clinton On North Korea’s Nuclear Test

Hillary Clinton released the following statement Friday on North Korea’s nuclear test:
“North Korea’s decision to conduct another nuclear test is outrageous and unacceptable.  I strongly condemn this reckless action, which – coupled with its recent series of missile launches – makes clear Pyongyang’s determination to develop a deliverable nuclear weapon.  This constitutes a direct threat to the United States, and we cannot and will never accept this.
I support President Obama’s call to both strengthen the sanctions passed earlier this year with the United Nations and to impose additional sanctions.  At the same time, we must strengthen defense cooperation with our allies in the region; South Korea and Japan are critical to our missile defense system, which will protect us against a North Korean missile.  China plays a critical role, too, and must meaningfully increase pressure on North Korea – and we must make sure they do.
This is another reminder that America must elect a President who can confront the threats we face with steadiness and strength.  We need a Commander-in-Chief committed to a bipartisan foreign policy, who can bring together top experts with deep experience to solve the toughest challenges.  And we need a President committed to reducing – not increasing – the number of nuclear weapons and nuclear states in the world.  More countries with nuclear weapons in Northeast Asia would increase the chances of the unthinkable happening.  We cannot take that risk.”

Michael J. Morrell Asserts Putin's Manipulation of Donald J. Trump

Not every Hillary Clinton endorsement ends up on this page.  That is largely because they have come in a deluge that is difficult to keep up with. Republican endorsements, of course, are spotlighted here as are many high profile Democratic ones.

Today's endorsement from Michael J. Morrell, who has defended Hillary against Republican attacks in his book, deserves notice and circulation for several reasons. First of all, he is not affiliated with any political party.  Secondly, he has worked with Hillary and seen her in action on critical decisions and security matters.  Most importantly, his experience and specialization give him a unique perspective on both Hillary and Donald J. Trump as the latter plays out his campaign.

The Opinion Pages | Campaign Stops

I Ran the C.I.A. Now I’m Endorsing Hillary Clinton.

By MICHAEL J. MORELL AUG. 5, 2016

Clinton in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Saturday. Credit Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

During a 33-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency, I served presidents of both parties — three Republicans and three Democrats. I was at President George W. Bush’s side when we were attacked on Sept. 11; as deputy director of the agency, I was with President Obama when we killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.

I am neither a registered Democrat nor a registered Republican. In my 40 years of voting, I have pulled the lever for candidates of both parties. As a government official, I have always been silent about my preference for president.

No longer. On Nov. 8, I will vote for Hillary Clinton. Between now and then, I will do everything I can to ensure that she is elected as our 45th president.

SNIP

The dangers that flow from Mr. Trump’s character are not just risks that would emerge if he became president. It is already damaging our national security.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was a career intelligence officer, trained to identify vulnerabilities in an individual and to exploit them. That is exactly what he did early in the primaries. Mr. Putin played upon Mr. Trump’s vulnerabilities by complimenting him. He responded just as Mr. Putin had calculated.

Read more >>>>

The Brexit vote, if it demonstrated nothing else, showed the world that there are no do-overs at the ballot box.   Americans can elect an inflated, self-absorbed, ignorant loud-mouth with no apparent native curiosity who is easily manipulated by our arch-adversary.  Or we can elect the woman who, when she visited Russia in 2010 was not originally scheduled to meet with Putin, wrangled a face-to-face, and for her efforts managed to get some concessions from him on the Iran sanctions.  Even I, the die-hard, had my doubts that she would manage that.  I have never doubted her since.  It is a simple choice.  We can choose Putin's Puppy Dog or the woman who knows how to corral and rope Putin and keep him on a leash.

Morrell pretty much validated my puppy dog analogy.

Hillary Clinton in Orlando

In Orlando today, Hillary participated in a roundtable discussion and visited the Pulse nightclub, the site of a mass shooting last month.

In Orlando, Hillary Clinton Condemns Terrorist Attack, Act of Hate on Latino LGBT Community

During a roundtable with community leaders in Orlando on Friday, Hillary Clinton condemned the terrorist attack against the LGBT community that killed 49 Americans and injured dozens more at The Pulse nightclub in June. Clinton reiterated her commitment to addressing gun violence and disrupting global networks that terrorists use to execute these attacks. Pointing to the need to pull together against hate and bigotry, Clinton said, “We have to stand against hate and bigotry. I was really moved by everyone who stood in solidarity with the victims and families here in Orlando, with the LGBT community, the Latino community, the Muslim community, with law enforcement and others, who have been truly tested and tried in the face of such horror and evil. People from all walks of life came together to help and support one another.”
Clinton’s remarks, as transcribed, are below:
“Well Mayor, thank you for that because that’s exactly why I am came here. To listen and learn from this community that has shown such grace and commitment to those who were lost, to their families and to all who were affected by this terrible event. I want to start by thanking you for your leadership. You were a steady and very compassionate voice throughout this terrible ordeal. I thank everyone who is here representing various aspects of the Orlando community.
I am pleased that my longtime friend and former colleague Senator Nelson is here as well. I want to just say a few words because I really am here to listen to what your experiences have been and what we do need to do together. We need to acknowledge and be very clear who this attack targeted: the Latino LGBT community, by any measure was the community that was most severely impacted by this terrible attack. What does that mean? Well, among other things, it means that it is still dangerous to be LGBT in America. I think it’s an unfortunate fact, but one that needs to be said, that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are more likely than any other group in our country to be the targets of hate crimes. They face a very complicated, intersecting sets of challenges in general, and specifically even more so as people of color.
So after meeting with several representatives of the families, including a mother who lost her beloved son, I want to underscore what I have heard from so many across our country, but particularly from here in Orlando. We have to stand against hate and bigotry. I was really moved by everyone who stood in solidarity with the victims and families here in Orlando, with the LGBT community, the Latino community, the Muslim community, with law enforcement and others, who have been truly tested and tried in the face of such horror and evil. People from all walks of life came together to help and support one another.
There are several things I think we do have to do at the national level to support communities like this one. We do have to take on the epidemic of gun violence, particularly assault weapons, the havoc and horror that they bring in their wake is just no longer tolerable. And we have to be willing to stand as one and demand changes from lawmakers at the federal, state, and local level.
Second, we have to disrupt and dismantle the global online network that radicalizes people here in the United States, that even unfortunately, infects the thinking and attitudes of people in our communities, in their homes. They are communicated with, they are inspired, and they are even directed, and we’ve got to do a better job to stop that.
So we have a lot of work ahead of us – and I am very much looking forward to hearing from the panelists who are with us who represent a fraction of the community that has responded so lovingly. And I will do everything I can, both in this campaign, but after it, to stand with you and to support you and to try to promote the kinds of changes that will prevent this from happening to other people, other families and other communities in the future.”