Hillary Clinton in The Wall Street Journal

On Drugs: Medical marijuana maybe ok; states decide recreational use

[This week], New York lawmakers approved legislation that would make it the 23rd state in the country to permit medical marijuana use, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Voters in Alaska and possibly Oregon will decide in November whether to join Colorado and Washington in allowing the sale of marijuana for recreational use.

As the momentum behind marijuana legalization grows, the issue is becoming inescapable for potential presidential contenders in 2016. The latest to weigh in was Hillary Clinton, who was asked about marijuana last week during her book tour. She seemed slightly more open to medical marijuana than she was during the 2008 campaign, saying it was appropriate in limited cases, but that more research was necessary.

"On recreational, you know, states are the laboratories of democracy," Mrs. Clinton told CNN interviewer Christiane Amanpour. "We have at least two states that are experimenting with that right now. I want to wait and see what the evidence is."

Source: Beth Reinhard in Wall Street Journal, "Third Way" Jun 14, 2014

On Foreign Policy: Political restraint against Iran's Ahmadinejad was a mistake

Mrs. Clinton said the Obama administration's decision to offer a muted response to the political demonstrations that broke out against former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009 was a mistake:

"In retrospect, I'm not sure our restraint was the right choice. It did not stop the regime from ruthlessly crushing the Green Movement, which was exceedingly painful to watch. More strident messages from the United States would probably not have prevented the outcome and might even have hastened it, but there's no way of knowing now if we could have made a difference." (Page 423)

Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton Jun 17, 2014

On Foreign Policy: 2011: we abandoned Egypt's Mubarak too readily

Mrs. Clinton argues the White House moved too quickly to pull U.S. support for former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011:

"Like many other young people around the world, some of President Obama's aides in the White House were swept up in the drama and idealism of the moment as they watched the pictures from Tahrir Square on television. I shared the feeling. It was a thrilling moment. But along with Vice President Biden, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, I was concerned that we not be seen as pushing a longtime partner out the door, leaving Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the region to an uncertain, dangerous future. (Pages 339-340)

Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton Jun 17, 2014

On Foreign Policy: 2012: Take a harder line with Russia's Putin

Clinton said she urged Obama to take a tougher line with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before she left office in 2012: "With all this in mind, I suggested we set a new course. The reset had allowed us to pick off the low-hanging fruit in terms of bilateral cooperation. And there was no need to blow up our collaboration on Iran or Afghanistan. But we should hit the pause button on new efforts. Don't appear too eager to work together. Don't flatter Putin with high-level attention." (Page 244) Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton Jun 17, 2014

On Foreign Policy: ISIL is more advanced and well-funded than al Qaeda

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the serious threat posed by Islamic State, saying the group is far more advanced and well-funded than al Qaeda ever was. "This is the best funded, most professional, expansionist Jihadist military force that we have seen ever," she said.

Clinton backed the strategies of the Obama administration in confronting Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL. She described ISIL as not just a major risk to the stability of Middle East, but likely to try attacks on Western targets if given the opportunity.

The remarks came during a friendly interview with Chicago investor and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker who served as national co-chairman of the former first lady's 2008 presidential campaign. While touching on foreign affairs, Mrs. Clinton also weaved in personal stories about her childhood in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge and her assessment of Congress.

Source: Mark Peters in Wall Street Journal, "ISIS strongest threat" Oct 8, 2014

On Government Reform: Expand executive action on immigration, guns, & corporations

Hillary Clinton is promising to go around lawmakers if they won't work with her. Clinton pitched ideas to crack down on corporate inversions, maneuvers that shift companies' legal addresses outside of the U.S. to lower tax bills. She said, "If Congress won't act, then I will ask the Treasury Department to use its regulatory authority."

It was the third major policy area where she vowed executive action, anticipating that a Republican Congress won't back her proposals. In each case, she would go beyond what the Obama administration has done.

She has promised to expand President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration, shielding more people in the U.S. from deportation, even as the existing policy is being challenged in the courts.

Clinton also has said she would try to rewrite firearms regulations so more sellers are required to conduct background checks on potential gun buyers. There is scant support for new gun restrictions among Republicans.

Source: Laura Meckler & Richard Rubin in Wall Street Journal Dec 9, 2015

On Gun Control: Rein in idea that anybody can have a gun anywhere, anytime

As Hillary Clinton mulls running for president in 2016, she has been careful to shy away from broad, sweeping policy declarations. But not when she delivered harsh criticism of gun culture in America and denounced the idea that "anybody can have a gun, anywhere, at any time." Clinton didn't dispute Americans' right to own guns. But she said access to guns in the U.S. had grown "way out of balance."

"We've got to rein in what has become an almost article of faith that anybody can have a gun anywhere, anytime," she said. "And I don't believe that is in the best interest of the vast majority of people."

Citing a number of shootings that arose from minor arguments over loud music or texting, she drew a comparison: "That's what happens in the countries I've visited where there is no rule of law and no self-control." She added: "That is something that we cannot just let go without paying attention."

Source: Wall Street Journal, "Anywhere, Anytime Gun Culture" May 6, 2014

On Gun Control: 2000: advocate for national gun registry; 2008: backed off

Gun rights groups have long considered Mrs. Clinton their foe. Her 2000 Senate campaign centered on a push to keep guns off the streets, and she was a forceful advocate of creating a national gun registry. But eight years later, as she faced off against then-Sen. Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, she positioned herself as more conservative than him on gun control. She backed off the proposal for a national registry and publicly recounted how her father had taught her how to shoot as a little girl--a story that prompted Obama to ask if she was seeking Annie Oakley comparisons. Gun control groups criticized her change in tune [back to strongly supporting gun control] as hypocritical and politically motivated.

Her position on gun control puts her at odds with the staunchly pro-gun GOP, and the push for gun control laws at the federal level has been historically unsuccessful. As president, Bill Clinton sought to tighten gun laws but was unable to achieve lasting effects.

Source: Wall Street Journal, "Anywhere, Anytime Gun Culture" May 6, 2014

On War & Peace: 2012: We helped Syrian rebels, but we should have done more

Mrs. Clinton argues that President Obama made a mistake by not more aggressively arming the moderate Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces:

"As more parts of Syria slipped free from the regime's control, we would also help local opposition groups provide essential services, such as reopening schools and rebuilding homes. But all these steps were Band-Aids. The conflict would rage on. (Page 464)

Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton Jun 17, 2014

On War & Peace: Don't demand complete moratorium on Israeli settlement

Mrs. Clinton said it was a mistake in retrospect to demand in 2009 a complete freezing of Israeli settlement construction as a precursor to peace talks. This allowed the Arab states and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to essentially stand back from negotiations until the U.S. could deliver on Obama's demand:

"That made it very hard for either one to climb down or compromise. The Arab states were happy to sit on the sidelines and use the dust-up as an excuse for their own inaction. And Abbas, who had consistently called for a halt to settlement construction for years, now claimed it was all our idea and said he wouldn't come to the peace table without a moratorium on settlement construction." (Page 316)

Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton Jun 17, 2014

The above quotations are from Columns and news articles on NY politics in The Wall Street Journal. Click here for other excerpts from Columns and news articles on NY politics in The Wall Street Journal. Click here for other excerpts by Hillary Clinton. Click here for a profile of Hillary Clinton.
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