This Nedra Pickler story about the CNN YouTube debate is classically snotty, cliche and unserious, totally unsurprising coming from Pickler. It would probably annoy me even more if I wasn’t having to read the news reports today to find out what happened. (There have been … technical difficulties.) But this, this was even more irritating than the tone of the article, because diplomacy should not be equated with propaganda:
… More seriously, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama would be willing to meet individually with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea during the first year of his presidency, while Clinton would not.
“I don’t want to be used for propaganda purposes,” she said. Her campaign quickly posted video of her answer online, trying to show she has a different understanding of foreign policy than her chief rival. …
At least, it was irritating until I read the transcript. Because Clinton didn’t say that she ‘wouldn’t be willing’ to meet with those leaders, she said that she “will not promise” to meet with them, though she would actively pursue high level diplomacy. A little different, you think?
She’s not my pick, but they shouldn’t get to lie about her without getting called on it. We all deserve a better conversation than that.