Hillary takes jab at Biden over Bin Laden raid

Hillary Clinton has been fairly quiet as of late but has recently made a few public statements. Her status for running in 2016 remains probable and a question she answered while speaking to the National Association of Convenience Stores on Tuesday sheds some light on who she thinks one of her opponents might be.

Report from Atlanta Journal Constitution:

No ears reported any mention of whatever 2016 ambitions Clinton might have. But state Rep. Tom Taylor, R-Dunwoody, said the former first lady dropped a huge hint. “I know she’s running for president now, because toward the end, she was asked about the Osama bin Laden raid. She took 25 minutes to answer,” Taylor said. “Without turning the knife too deeply, she put it to [Vice President Joe] Biden.”

Time and time again, Taylor said, Clinton mentioned the vice president’s opposition to the raid, while characterizing herself and Leon Panetta, then director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as the action’s most fierce advocates.

About 3,000 to 4,000 convention-goers packed the Thomas Murphy Ballroom in the Georgia World Congress Center to hear Clinton. The bin Laden query was the last of a Q-and-A session with the audience. “She took the rest of the time and went over, answering that question. She was ready to speak on that,” Taylor said.

President Obama’s message in 2008: “GM is alive and Osama Bin Laden is dead.” Hillary Clinton’s message in 2016: “Osama Bin Laden is dead and I supported it.” Alright, maybe that boils down too simple.

Some politicos are discounting Joe Biden’s ability to fight against the Clinton machine if he chooses to launch a campaign in 2016. I used to be in that camp before examining Biden’s ability to connect with certain segments of voters. I still think it’s an uphill climb for him but he could have more support than conventional wisdom holds.


Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

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