But it may be somewhat premature and even inaccurate to declare that Clinton is intentionally distancing herself from the Obama administration.
First, there was significant distance between Clinton and Obama from the very start, even before she joined his administration. As a senator, Clinton voted to authorize President George W. Bush’s 2003 Iraq invasion. That was the vote that allowed Obama to contrast himself as the anti-war alternative to Clinton, a key to his winning the nomination.
And lest we forget, Clinton repeatedly ridiculed Obama in 2007 and 2008 for what she alleged was his foreign policy naivete, such as during a debate when Obama stated his openness to holding direct talks with the leaders of Iran and North Korea.
Second, if Clinton was indeed taking a harder line on negotiations with the Taliban to free Bergdahl as far back as 2012 as The Daily Beast reports, it would be evidence of real differences between her and other administration officials back then.
Let us not forget that Her Madameship’s entire career is built upon uncomfortably arrangements with two men who embarrassed her. She is closer ideologically to her husband than to her former boss.
Should she decide to run, it will be very interesting to see how much effort she puts into making it very clear that they differed on a lot. That will have the press heading to group therapy as they will be torn between protecting their Messiah’s legacy and dutifully sticking to the completion of Bubba’s legacy.
Watch out for exploding heads.
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