2016 has been an interesting presidential race not just because the Republicans nominated a nutcase and the Democrats nominated someone under FBI investigation, but because of the foreign policy shift occurring at the top of the ticket. Since the early 1990s, the Republican Party has been dominated by an ideology known as neoconservatism, which advocates for a strong U.S. presence globally to maintain and secure democratic peace. Neoconservatives (neocons for short) had free reign to implement their thoughts into practice during the George W. Bush Administration. Twelve years after the invasion of Iraq, 79 percent of Americans view the intervention unfavorably and young Iraqis overwhelmingly view Americans as enemies, not allies.
In the absence of a Republican champion, the interventionists have found a new standard bearer in the Democratic ranks: Hillary Rodham Clinton. Many liberals fight tooth and nail against the claim that “Hillary is a Neocon,” but as Senator Rand Paul said, the nominee’s record speaks for itself. She supported the War in Iraq as a U.S. Senator and interventions in Libya and Syria as Secretary of State. But don’t take my word for it; see if you can determine if the following quotes were from Hillary or Bush 43.
On Terrorism
Can you guess if it was George W. Bush or Hillary Clinton who said the following (Answers on next page):
A- “It cannot be contained, it must be defeated.”
B- “Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. They represent evil and war.”
We’re sure many of you guessed wrong on this one. Surely, Bush was tough of terrorists and Clinton is an anti-war liberal, right? Well, turns out the answers are:
A- Hillary Clinton, 11/12/2016
B- George W. Bush, 9/17/2001
Let’s try another one!
On Iraq
A- “It is clear…that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.”
B- “Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. This regime has already used weapons of mass destruction against Iraq’s neighbors and against Iraq’s people,”
Go ahead, give it your best guess. Check the next page for the answer!
These are tough… We’re they the same person? Nope! Hillary turns out to be quite the hawk!
A- Hillary Clinton, 2002
B- George W. Bush, 3/17/2003
Okay, but how about this one….
On Spreading Global Democracy
A- “There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.”
B- “And I believe that at the same time that we have to make clear to the Iraqis that they have been given the greatest gift that a human being can give another human being – the gift of freedom. And it is up to them to decide how they will use that precious gift that has been paid for with the blood and sacrifice and treasure of the United States of America.”
Which quote fits which hawk? Let’s find out…
A- George W. Bush, 1/20/2005
B- Hillary Clinton, March 2008
It’s almost like the neoconservative former president and Hillary Clinton have the same speech writers! Here’s one more to drive home Hillary’s hypocrisy.
On the NSA
“Well yeah but how much is too much? And how much is not enough? That’s the hard part. I think if Americans felt like, number one, you’re not going after my personal information, the content of my personal information. But I do want you to get the bad guys.”
“The Patriot Act closed dangerous gaps in America’s law enforcement and intelligence capabilities, gaps that terrorists exploited when they attacked us.”
Well, what did you guess? Here’s the truth:
A- Hillary Clinton, 2/25/2015
B- George W. Bush, 6/9/2016
So when you meet a Hillary supporter who is an anti-war liberal, give them this quiz and watch their heads their explode.