Hillary Clinton: Putin Must Be Kept Contained
As a newly minted secretary of state, Hillary Clinton seemed convinced that she could bring about a thaw in Americas chilly relationship with Russia.
That heady period in 2009 is long gone.
In a speech Monday night in Las Vegas, Mrs. Clinton depicted Russian President Vladimir Putin as a mortal threat to sovereign European countries and U.S. interests. She called for a sustained commitment to keep him contained.
Mrs. Clinton, a likelypresidentialcandidate in 2016 warned that under Mr. Putins leadership Russia is using military power in combination with its leverage as an energy producer to cow European leaders.
Some Europeans just dont want to confront Putin in any way, Mrs. Clinton said in a question-and-answer session that was part of a paid speaking engagement sponsored by the UNLV Foundation. I think thats a mistake. I think he is at heart a bully and you have to be smart; not confrontational, but you have to stand up and you have to encircle and you have to try to choke off his ability to be so aggressive.
Mrs. Clintons appearance had drawn protests from student leaders at the university, who objected to her $225,000 speaking fee. Mrs. Clinton has said she wont pocket the money but will instead plow it into her familys charitable foundation.
She received a warm reception at the event, held at the Bellagio hotel. The moderator, Las Vegas Sun Publisher Brian Greenspun, gave her a pair of running shoes as a gift. The shoes were a nod to her possible political ambitions and also a light reference to her appearance in Las Vegas six months ago when someone in the audience hurled a shoe at her.
Famously, former President George W. Bush said in 2001 that he had looked Mr. Putin in the eye and found him to be straight-forward and trustworthy.
Asked how she perceived the Russian leader, Mrs. Clinton said: Well, I see a very cold-blooded, calculating former KGB agent who is determined to not only enrich himself and his closest colleagues, but also to try to revive Russias influence around its border.
The line echoes one used by Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) who while running forpresident in the 2008 election said he looked into Mr. Putins eyes and saw three letters: A K, a G, and a B.
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Hillary Clinton: Putin Must Be Kept Contained