Direct Attack Deserves Direct Response

I saw it first here first.

Barbara Boxer ‏@BarbaraBoxer Sep 16

As @CarlyFiorina attacked Iran tonight she failed to mention that while she was CEO she sold them computer parts, which was against the law.

Attacking Iran is one thing, and what Barbara Boxer exposes is hypocrisy and underhandedness on Fiorina's part, not to mention a very cavalier attitude toward the law.  Fine behavior from any GOP candidate since they are all aboard for trashing the nuclear agreement and reinstating sanctions unilaterally.  Well, why not?  If the sanctions are neither respected nor complied with anyway, that will show Iran!

What Senator Boxer did not say in that tweet was that Carly Fiorina viciously attacked Hillary Clinton several times in the course of that debate as well.  Robin Abarian has some info to share on how Fiorina managed exactly what Senator Boxer said she did.

Hey, GOP: Using Carly Fiorina to attack Hillary Clinton could backfire

Robin Abcarian

Fiorina has never held political office, but the former Hewlett-Packard chief has been toiling away in Republican political trenches ever since she lost the U.S. Senate campaign against Barbara Boxer in 2010. Despite Fiorina’s lack of name recognition, Iowa conservatives liked what she had to say.
“She came across as a highly intelligent woman and a strong leader,” one GOP party official told the Washington Times. “She did herself the most good.”
“Like Hillary Clinton,” she said, “I too have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe. But unlike her, I have actually accomplished something…. Having done business in over 80 countries and having served as the chairman of the external advisory board at the CIA for several years, I know that China and Russia are state sponsors of cyberwarfare and have a strategy to steal our intellectual property. I know Bibi Netanyahu and know that when he warns us that Iran is a danger to this nation as well as his own, that we must listen.”
Read more to see how Fiorina circumvented the sanctions>>>>

This is the issue Abcarian did not address so I will.

First of all,  no one listens to Bibi more or better than Hillary Clinton.  This marathon meeting was iconic of their relationship. which is professional.  Hillary does not call him her friend.

Hillary Clinton’s Mid-East Charm Offensive: Remarks Before Her Meeting With Netanyahu

November 11, 2010

David Axelrod was kind enough to tweet this.

Hillary Clinton ‏@HillaryClinton 48m48 minutes ago

.@DavidAxelrod, former Senior Advisor to President Obama, on Hillary’s greatest accomplishments.

You can revisit that whirlwind of air miles and events below.

2nd Annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Year in Review: Installment IX September 2010

December 27, 2010 by still4hill | Edit

September is always a super-busy month because the UN General Assembly meets in New York toward the end of the month at the same time that the Clinton Global Initiative is held.  This year it was even busier than usual since it began with the enormous Mid-East Peace Initiative.

Read more >>>>

Then there were these, posted many times before on these pages.

>Russia.  Hillary Clinton and Sergei Lavrov worked exceedingly well together and achieved the very crucial New START treaty.  This was immense,  a great victory for both diplomats and both countries.  Their relationship remained solid throughout her tenure.

>For the first time in its history she completely overhauled the State Department , USAID, and interagency cooperation with her Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).
>For the first time in history she called all of the chiefs of mission together at the State Department for annual conferences.
>She instituted an Office of Global Women’s Issues.
>In June 2009 she  provided benefits to domestic partners of foreign service diplomats for the first time.
>She brought previously neglected countries back to the table with numerous memoranda of understanding and countless business initiatives.
>She kept the alliance between Afghanistan and Pakistan stable despite enormous challenges.
>She reopened the vital supply route from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

>She ensured U.S. access to the vital Manas airstip in Kyrgystan.
>She Salvaged the Turkey-Armenia accords which  she was supposed to simply witness when they suddenly nearly fell apart.
>She brought issues like human trafficking as well as violence against women and LGBT communities to the international table.

These are simply a few things that come to mind at the moment, and I probably have left out some important events.  Nonetheless, I believe these accomplishments stand well in the face of Fiorina's implication that Hillary did nothing but fly a lot.  Fiorina is wrong and way off-base.  Hillary Clinton has left an indelible mark on the State Department and has brought its operations into the 21st century with her integration of social networking into our outreach to the world.  She was a tremendously effective Secretary of State and a hero to many, our own troops at war among them.  We can be appreciative of her selfless service and proud of the job she has done. (Edited to address Carly Fiorina's comments rather that Jennifer Rubin's -  to whom parts of this were initially addressed.)

For the record, since Fiorina brought it up as if it were her original idea, Hillary was way ahead of her trying to get a No Fly Zone over Syria.  Way ahead!

In Turkey Hillary Clinton Talks No Fly Zones Over Syria

August 11, 2012

These were reposted here only two weeks ago, but what the heck!  Here are her other efforts on Syria and the Syrian people.  She foresaw the current humanitarian crisis brewing long before anyone else besides the Syrians themselves.

Hillary Clinton: Hardly Silent on Syria … but Who Listene, d?

September 3, 2013

Fiorina oft-repeated her mantra about challenging the status quo which Hillary has been doing all of her life.  A good leader also makes certain she knows the facts before she speaks.  If she lives in a glass house, she throws no stones.  If she calls someone a liar, she does not validate her point with lies.  I will not even bother with Senator Boxer's and Robin Abcarian's exposures of Fiorina's crime.  She directly interfered with this country's foreign policy.  It was treacherous of her to deal with Iran when sanctions were in place.  Meanwhile, contrary to right-wing gossip, Hillary Clinton is facing no criminal allegations and has done nothing wrong.

As secretary of state she accomplished a great deal.  It was all good, too.