"Hillary Rodham Clinton conferred privately with David H. Petraeus"

[ProSense]

Backstage Glimpses of Clinton as Dogged Diplomat, Win or Lose

By MICHAEL R. GORDON and MARK LANDLER

WASHINGTON — Last summer, as the fighting in Syria raged and questions about the United States’ inaction grew, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton conferred privately with David H. Petraeus, the director of the C.I.A....The idea was to vet the rebel groups and train fighters, who would be supplied with weapons. The plan had risks, but it also offered the potential reward of creating Syrian allies with whom the United States could work, both during the conflict and after President Bashar al-Assad’s eventual removal.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Petraeus presented the proposal to the White House, according to administration officials. But with the White House worried about the risks, and with President Obama in the midst of a re-election bid, they were rebuffed.

<...>

“Secretary Clinton has dramatically changed the face of U.S. foreign policy globally for the good,” said Richard L. Armitage, deputy secretary of state during the George W. Bush administration. “But I wish she had been unleashed more by the White House.”

In an administration often faulted for its timidity abroad, “Clinton wanted to lead from the front, not from behind,” said Vali R. Nasr, a former State Department adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan who is now the dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/us/politics/in-behind-scene-blows-and-triumphs-sense-of-clinton-future.html

What's the point of this story? Is it to give the impression that Hillary is more hawkish and Obama is weak on national security?

I mean, what's the point?

White House rebuffed Clinton-Petraeus plan to arm Syrian rebels: report
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014388875

[JaneyVee]

1. Shouldn't history show us that we should be very concerned about arming the rebels?

[immoderate]

2. Isn't that how we got Osama bin Laden?

--imm

[southernyankeebelle]

3. We probably will see stuff coming out because Clinton wants to be seen as a hawk.

Clinton knows how to play the game.

[hedgehog]

4. "with President Obama in the midst of a re-election bid, they were rebuffed. "

What is that supposed to mean - that Obama chose not to arm the rebels to ensure his re-election? Even if it were true, I don't think the US President should be making commitments without gaining the prior approval of the people.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Restrained does not equal weak. Obama used good judgment.

[graham4anything]

6. Hillary45.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. Thank God the WH rebuffed the plan to take sides in another

country's civil war. We've tried that and failed numerous times (Vietnam, El Salvador, Afghanistan, Iraq). Kudos to Obama for having the backbone to stiffarm the war pigs.

[tularetom]

8. Vote for Hillary - she pals around with the guys who fucked up Iraq and Afghanistan!

Somebody may have convinced her that it's a winning strategy to align herself with the morans who have cost the US trillions of dollars and thousands of lives over the past decade, but IMO it ain't gonna go over particularly well with the average voter.

I think she'd do a lot better to shut the fuck up about how tough she is and tell us how she might do something about income inequality here in the US.