12.19.14 CTR Weekend TPs

From:burns.strider@americanbridge.org To: CTRFriendsFamily@americanbridge.org Date: 2014-12-19 17:10 Subject: 12.19.14 CTR Weekend TPs

​Hi all, Please find Correct The Record's weekend talking points package both attached and below. Happy holidays! *12.19.14 Weekend Package* *1. **Hillary Clinton’s Remarks on Race and our Criminal Justice System* *2. **Hillary Clinton Denounces the Use of Torture by United States* *3. **Hillary Clinton: A Lifetime Champion of the Middle Class* *4. **Eleven Things You Should Know About Hillary Clinton* *HILLARY CLINTON’S REMARKS ON RACE AND OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM* *BACKGROUND: **At an event Tuesday in New York for the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Hillary Clinton once again addressed the issue of race relations and our criminal justice system in light of recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island. She addressed this issue in Boston earlier this month, as well as in San Francisco this summer.* *Highlights from Hillary’s remarks on December 16, 2014:* · “We can stand up together and say ‘Yes, black lives matter.’” · “[Robert Kennedy] understood everyone in every community benefitted when there is respect for the law, and when everyone in every community is respected by the law.” · “Policies, politics, priorities matter, but values matter even more. And it is possible…to restore a sense of community and potential to families struggling, worrying, disappointed, discouraged, revitalizing and re-stitching the fraying fabric of American life. It is possible to keep us safe from terrorism and reduce crime and violence without relying on torture abroad or unnecessary force or excessive incarceration at home.” · “African American men are still far more likely to be stopped and searched by the police, charged with crimes, and sentenced to longer prison terms…a third of all black men face the prospect of prison during their lifetimes, and by some estimates, young black men are more than 20 times more likely to be shot dead by a police officer than a young white man.” · “We know that there are so many police officers out there every day inspiring trust and confidence, rather than fear and frustration; honorably doing their duty; putting themselves on the line to save lives, not take them. We can build on that. We can work to restore the balance to our public life, our economy.” *Highlights from Hillary’s remarks on December 4, 2014:* · “I know that a lot of hearts are breaking, and we are asking ourselves, ‘Aren’t these our sons? Aren’t these our brothers?’” · “Each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in America…When one stops and realizes a third of all Black men face the prospect of prison during their lifetimes, what devastating consequences that has for their families, and their communities, and all of us.” · “We have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance. And I personally hope that these tragedies give us the opportunity to come together as a nation to find our balance again.” · “I’m very pleased that the Department of Justice will be investigating what happened in Ferguson or Staten Island. Those families and those communities and our country deserve a full and fair accounting as well as whatever substantive reforms are necessary to ensure equality, justice, and respect for every citizen…I support the President’s announcement of a task force on policing.” · “We all know there are decent, honorable, brave police officers out in our communities every single day, inspiring trust and confidence rather than fear and frustration. So let’s learn from the best examples. Let’s invest in what works.” · “The most important thing each of us can do is to try even harder to see the world through our neighbors’ eyes. To imagine what it is like to walk in their shoes, to share their pain and their hopes and their dreams. These tragedies did not happen in some far-away place. They didn’t happen to some other people. These are our streets, our children, our fellow Americans, and our grief…We are all in this together, we can all do better.” *Highlights from Hillary’s remarks on August 28, 2014:* - “Watching the recent funeral for Michael Brown, as a mother, as a human being, my heart just broke for his family because losing a child is every parent's greatest fear and an unimaginable loss.” - “This is what happens when the bonds of trust and respect that hold any community together fray. Nobody wants to see our streets look like a war zone, not in America. We are better than that.” - “We cannot ignore the inequities that persist in our justice system. Inequities that undermine our most deeply held values of fairness and equality.” - “Imagine what we would feel and what we would do if white drivers were three times as likely to be searched by police during a traffic stop as black drivers, instead of the other way around. If white offenders received prison sentences ten percent longer than black offenders for the same crimes. If a third of all white men – just look at this room and take one-third – went to prison during their lifetime. Imagine that. That is the reality in the lives of so many of our fellow Americans and so many of the communities in which they live.” - “I applaud President Obama for sending the Attorney General to Ferguson and demanding a thorough and speedy investigation. That’s both appropriate and necessary to find out what happened, to see that justice is done, to help this community begin healing itself.” - “It was 51 years ago today that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called us to live out the true meaning of our creed, to make the dream real for all Americans. And that mission is as fiercely urgent today as when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the hot August sun all those years ago. So we have a lot of work to do together.” *Hillary Clinton Denounces the Use of Torture by United States* *Background: *At an event honoring her deep commitment to human rights, Hillary Clinton spoke forcefully on Tuesday regarding the use of torture by the United States. Her remarks were given at a speech at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Gala. Her speech followed the release of a report on the CIA’s interrogation methods. 12/14 <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/hillary-clinton-pass-laws-forbidding-torture-113631.html> - Clinton denounced the practice of torture by the United States and advocated for laws that ban torture. - Clinton emphasized that the practice of torture is not in line with the values for which our country stands.As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton consistently opposed the use of torture by the United States. 12/09 <http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2009a/12/133544.htm> - Clinton said that the U.S. must hold itself accountable to the same international law that it holds other nations - including a ban on torture. - Clinton said the U.S. would participate in the U.N.’s Universal Periodic Review of its own human rights record. As Senator, Hillary Clinton condemned the Bush Administration’s use of torture to fight terrorism and wrote that torture does not reliably assist our intelligence community. 11/07 <http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20071101faessay86601/hillary-rodham-clinton/security-and-opportunity-for-the-twenty-first-century.html?> 10/07 <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/us/politics/05text-clinton.html?pagewanted=print> In Hillary Clinton’s memoir, *Hard Choices*, she praised President Obama’s 2009 executive order banning torture. *Remarks of Hillary Clinton Following Release of CIA Torture Report at RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights Gala:* - "Yes, the threat of terrorism is real and urgent, scores of children were just murdered in Pakistan, beheadings in the Middle East, a siege in Sydney, these tragedies not only break hearts but should steel our resolve and underscore that our values are what set us apart from our adversaries.” - "Today we can say again in a loud and clear voice, the United States should never condone or practice torture anywhere in the world.” - "That should be absolutely clear as a matter of both policy and law, including our international treaty obligations, and if that requires new legislation, then Congress should work with President Obama to quickly enact it and it shouldn't be an issue of partisan politics." - “America is at our best when our actions match our values.” *Remarks of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State on Use of Torture by United States:* - The U.S. “can and must do a better job of addressing the mistaken belief that these tactics are ever permissible.” 6/7/12 <http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2012/06/191912.htm> - “When nations violate human rights and undermine the rule of law, even in the pursuit of terrorists, it feeds radicalization, gives propaganda tools to the extremists, and ultimately undermines our efforts. The international community cannot turn our eyes away from the effects of these tactics because they are part of the problem.” 6/7/12 <http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2012/06/191912.htm> - “By holding ourselves accountable, we reinforce our moral authority to demand that all governments adhere to obligations under international law; among them, not to torture.” 12/14/09 <http://www.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2009a/12/133544.htm> *Remarks of Hillary Clinton as Senator on Use of Torture by United States:* - *“*Torture ‘cannot be American policy. Period.” 10/4/07 <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/us/politics/05text-clinton.html?pagewanted=print> - *“*Torture is morally wrong. It is against the law. It betrays our most fundamental values, damages our credibility around the world, and harms U.S. national security.” 5/17/08 <http://web.archive.org/web/20081218183929/http:/clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=292787&&> - Torture “does not bear reliable fruit in intelligence gathering.” 10/4/07 <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/us/politics/05text-clinton.html?pagewanted=print> ] - “The world we want is also a world where human rights are respected. By surrendering our values in the name of our safety, the Bush administration has left Americans wondering whether its rhetoric about freedom around the world still applies back home. We have undercut international support for fighting terrorism by suggesting that the job cannot be done without humiliation, infringements on basic rights to privacy and free speech, and even torture.” *Excerpt by Hillary Clinton in Hard Choices memoir on President Obama’s Torture Ban:* - “In 2009, there was no denying that our country’s approach to human rights had gotten somewhat out of balance. On his second full day in office President Obama issued an executive order prohibiting the use of torture or official cruelty by any U.S. official and ordered the closure of Guantánamo Bay (a goal that has not yet been achieved). He pledged to put human rights back at the heart of our foreign policy.” *TALKING POINTS: HILLARY CLINTON: A LIFETIME CHAMPION OF THE MIDDLE CLASS* *“With all due respect, it is not rich people who made America great. It is the vast American middle class. It is the upward mobility of people who thought they could do better than their parents.”* *–Hillary Clinton* *BACKGROUND:* Hillary Clinton has dedicated her life to ensuring that hardworking Americans can succeed. In uncertain times, families need faith that opportunity for their children and grandchildren is alive and well. Hillary Clinton wants the American Dream to be a real possibility for every child and every family across our nation. · *Hillary Clinton knows that tomorrow’s shared success starts with today’s child*, and her dedication to children began long before she ever entered public office. In fact, her first job out of law school was for the newly-formed Children’s Defense Fund, an organization she would later chair. · *Hillary Clinton has worked to expand access to early childhood education for children of lower-income families.* As First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary Clinton introduced her husband to the HIPPY program, which expanded early childhood education to economically disadvantaged children. In the Senate, Clinton partnered with Kit Bond in an effort to expand voluntary full-day pre-K for children from low-income families. Today, as part of the Too Small to Fail Initiative to improve the health and well-being of children five and under, Hillary Clinton is working to close the “word gap” for kids in low-income families who often have smaller vocabularies than their classmates. · *Hillary Clinton has worked to increase health coverage for millions of children in low-income and working families* through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, a program she helped created as First Lady. In the Senate, Hillary Clinton looked for ways to strengthen the program, introducing bills to allow states to expand it. · *Hillary Clinton’s record proves she believes that every American should be able to earn an equal day’s pay for an equal day’s work.* As a Senator, Hillary Clinton introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act and was an original cosponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. · *In the Senate, Hillary Clinton supported increasing the minimum wage* and voted repeatedly to protect and increase it. She was an original cosponsor of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, and authored the 2006 and 2007 Standing with Minimum Wage Act to tie Congressional salary increases to an increase in the minimum wage. · *As a Senator, Hillary Clinton supported progressive tax policies* that required millionaires to pay their fair share. She opposed tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations in 2001 and 2003, and she supported a variety of middle-class tax cuts, including tax credits for student loan recipients, and keeping in place the tax cuts for those who make under $250,000 a year. o Clinton has said “that inherited wealth and concentrated wealth is not good for America,” and she has consistently voted against repealing the estate tax on millionaires, doing so in 2001, 2002, and 2006. · *Hillary Clinton supported working families going through difficult times through no fault of their own.* In the Senate, she was a bipartisan leader on fighting to extend emergency unemployment benefits. *BOTTOM LINE:* Leading the charge for equal pay for equal work, fighting to increase wages, strongly advocating for progressive tax policies and access to education and healthcare to help middle-class families – Hillary Clinton has fought for an America and a future where everyone can rise to their potential. *HILLARY CLINTON’S RECENT STATEMENTS ON THE MIDDLE CLASS* *In her many public appearances over the past year, Hillary Clinton has continued to advocate for the middle class by sharing her vision all over the country:* · *In a speech to a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf, “Clinton focused on ‘hard-working families’ and restoring America’s luster and a strong middle class with ‘a fresh start.’”* According to Politico, Clinton “gave one of her strongest political speeches since her 2008 campaign ended in June 2008 as she headlined a women-focused event for Democratic gubernatorial Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania. Clinton focused on ‘hard-working families’ and restoring America’s luster and a strong middle class with ‘a fresh start,’ as well as women’s pay equity and her gauzy first days as a new grandmother. For the first time in months, Clinton’s public talk was neither a dry recitation of public policy nor a self-reflection about her tenure as secretary of state.” [Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/pennsylvania-governor-race-2014-tom-wolf-hillary-clinton-111760.html#ixzz3Fkai9jLu>, 10/9/14] · *Clinton’s language at a women-focused event for Democrat Tom Wolf was “some of her strongest about rebuilding the middle class.”* According to Politico, “The remarks were some of her strongest about rebuilding the middle class. They came after she was accused of being out of touch for her comment in June about being ‘dead broke’ when she left the White House, and for giving paid speeches at exorbitant prices.” [Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2014/10/pennsylvania-governor-race-2014-tom-wolf-hillary-clinton-111760.html#ixzz3Fkai9jLu>, 10/9/14] · *The theme of Clinton’s speech at an event for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Wolf was working families.* According to BuzzFeed, “The thread running through Clinton’s message here in Pennsylvania, the state she won six years ago in a primary against Barack Obama, was working families — a theme she teased repeatedly throughout her speech with populist undertones, mentions of her granddaughter, and stories about her own trips as a child to Scranton, where Clinton’s father, Hugh, was born to a working-class immigrant family.” [BuzzFeed <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/hillary-clinton-finds-her-message#ukknyi>, 9/9/14] · *In Pennsylvania, Clinton criticized the power of corporations, siding with middle-class families.* According to the Wall Street Journal, “Though she and her husband have raised more than $1 billion from U.S. companies and corporate officials over the last two decades*, *Mrs. Clinton signaled that she sided with everyday families struggling to pay bills and keep afloat. Corporations, she said, ‘seem to have all the rights, but none of the responsibilities of people …’ She decried practices that pay women less than men for the same work and took aim at politicians who’ve belittled women’s rights. ‘A 20th century economy will not work for 21st century families,’ she said.” [Wall Street Journal <http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/10/09/hillary-clinton-blends-family-stories-populist-attacks-at-pennsylvania-rally/>, 9/9/14] · *Hillary Clinton’s speeches are revealing a theme that she would fight to restore and re-open the middle class. *According to TPM, “The notion of ‘upward mobility’ was central to Clinton's message to the New American audience in May. She described it as ‘time-tested wisdom’ that was ‘at the heart of what I believe is the basic bargain of America.’… Here is how Clinton described that basic bargain of America, as she sees it, in May: ‘No matter who you are or where you come from, if you work hard and play by the rules, you’ll have the opportunity to build a good life for yourself and your family.’" [TPM <http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/hillary-clinton-2016-economic-message>, 9/22/14] · *Hillary Clinton’s speeches are revealing a theme that she can address income inequality and gender inequality. *According to TPM, “So income inequality has been a big part of the message. But it's also been married to inequality between the sexes. At both the New American and CAP events, the same factoid made an appearance: That three-quarters of jobs that rely on tips -- like ‘waiters, bartenders and hairstylists’ as she said on both occasions -- are held by women…. And she said Thursday that these issues should be used to mobilize voters -- in the 2014 midterms and moving forward.” [TPM <http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/hillary-clinton-2016-economic-message>, 9/22/14] · *In recent speeches, Clinton has taken a tougher stance on big business, likely in “an effort to find the balance between populism and her familiar centrism” she may need in 2016, according to Reuters. *According to Reuters, “Long viewed as an ally by Wall Street, likely 2016 presidential contender Hillary Clinton has increasingly been taking banks and big business to task while on the campaign trail for Democrats across the country.… This is a change of tone for the former New York senator, who faced criticism for her Wall Street ties as recently as September, after appearing with Goldman Sachs (GS.N) chief executive Lloyd Blankfein. Allies and analysts see it as an effort to find the balance between populism and her familiar centrism that Clinton may need in order to broaden her appeal in a potential 2016 Democratic primary contest.” [Reuters <http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/02/us-usa-elections-clinton-idUSKBN0IM0ED20141102>, 11/2/14] · *During a New Hampshire midterm event, Clinton discussed expanding economic opportunity and raising the minimum wage. *According to the Boston Globe, “Clinton spoke in New Hampshire about expanding economic opportunity, raising the minimum wage, and protecting women’s rights. She acknowledged that, across the country, there is ‘a lot of anxiety and insecurity.’ But the former secretary of state and US senator from New York struck a hopeful note: She bookended her remarks talking about her new granddaughter and said seeing another generation in the family focuses the mind on what’s important. Clinton said she and her husband were raised to believe the American Dream was within your reach if you worked hard. ‘You should not,’ Clinton told a packed gymnasium, ‘have to be the grandchild of a governor or a senator or a former secretary of state or a former president to believe that the American Dream is in your reach.’” [Boston Globe <http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/11/02/hillary-clinton-campaign-with-jeanne-shaheen-maggie-hassan-new-hampshire/rNXPdVMI3umCS97hOY5ytK/story.html>, 11/2/14] · *In midterm campaign appearances, Clinton has been echoing populist notes. *According to Bloomberg, Clinton “has been sounding more populist notes of late as a campaign-trail advocate for Democratic candidates who are on the ballot next week. That's an important turn as she contemplates a run for president in 2016 because Clinton's biggest weakness among Democrats, and some Republicans, is the perception that she's too close to Wall Street and corporate America…. And the more anti-corporate tone is pleasing to the ears of liberals who have pined for Senator Elizabeth Warren, a scourge of Wall Street banks, to challenge Clinton for the Democratic nomination. And, they say, it's a message Clinton can use against Republicans because many in the GOP have turned wary of Wall Street and big corporations since the 2008 financial crash.” [Bloomberg <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-10-27/clinton-trickledone-economics-has-failed>, 10/27/14] · *During a midterm appearance in New York, Clinton clarified earlier comments about companies and job creation, while maintaining the same theme: “Clinton’s for the little guy.” *According to Bloomberg, “Days after Republicans feasted on her claim that corporations don't create jobs, Hillary Clinton tried Monday to ‘be absolutely clear about what I've been saying for a couple of decades.’ ‘So-called trickle-down economics has failed,’ Clinton said as she stumped for Representative Sean Patrick Maloney in New York. ‘Our economy grows when businesses and entrepreneurs create good-paying jobs here in an America where workers and families are empowered to build from the bottom up and the middle out–not when we hand out tax breaks for corporations that outsource jobs or stash their profits overseas.’ While campaigning Friday for Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley, Clinton created a stir–and drew criticism from Republicans–by saying, ‘Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.’…The cleaned-up message, though, hits at the same theme: Clinton's for the little guy.” [Bloomberg <http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-10-27/clinton-trickledone-economics-has-failed>, 10/27/14] · *While campaigning for Democrats in the midterm election, Clinton frequently tells voters that “everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance.” *According to a CNN, an investigation into Clinton’s most common lines on the trail found that Clinton frequently tells voters, "‘Everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance...’ Clinton has focused a great deal on economic populism on the stump, an issue other Democrats thinking about seeking the presidency in 2016 have started to tweak Clinton on. ‘Everyone deserves a second chance, a third chance to keep going and to make something of themselves,’ Clinton said in Iowa earlier this year. ‘That was one of the most important lessons of my life.’ Clinton usually uses the line to encourage compassion from a crowd, and to show that she has compassion, too.” [CNN <http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/28/politics/clinton-midterm-lines/>, 10/28/14] · *In a San Francisco speech, Clinton revealed some of what may be her economic message: “Who’s on your side?” *According to the Washington Post, “Here in San Francisco on Monday, Clinton gave a spirited call to arms to Democrats as she road-tested what is likely to be her economic message if she runs again. The November midterms, she said, come down ‘to a simple question: Who’s on your side?’ She sounded close to her party’s populist marrow when she decried the erosion of economic security for many working Americans, and a long way from her tone-deaf remark earlier this year about being ‘dead broke’ when she and Bill Clinton left the White House in 2000. ‘It’s time to elect leaders who will fight for everyone to get a fair shot at the American dream,’ Hillary Clinton said.” [Washington Post <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hillary-clinton-is-a-bright-spot-on-a-gloomy-democratic-election-landscape/2014/10/20/f86cb1b6-5862-11e4-bd61-346aee66ba29_story.html>, 10/21/14] · *Hillary Clinton’s speeches are revealing a theme that she could finish the economic recovery begun by Obama. *According to TPM, “Clinton seems to have a handle of the line she wants to toe: Obama saved us from worse economic struggles (as his defenders have been saying for years), but the work isn't over. Implicit, of course, is that she -- if she runs -- would finish the job. ‘We haven't seen a full recovery from the economic crash,’ Clinton said Thursday at CAP. ‘When the president came in, he deserves an enormous amount of credit for staunching the bleeding and preventing a further deterioration and getting us out of that ditch we were in. But we know unless we change our policies, a lot of the benefits are not going to be broadly shared.’ ‘It's not just about more jobs for more people and better paying jobs,’ she said. ‘It's making sure that the people themselves get to keep those benefits and build that future back that they are so desperate to see for themselves.’" [TPM <http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/hillary-clinton-2016-economic-message>, 9/22/14] · *In an interview with PBS this summer, Hillary **said* <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/hillary-clinton-talks-hard-choices-battle-scars/#.U6t-JXR93NI.twitter> *:* “Bill and I have had terrific opportunities, both of us…have worked hard, but we’ve been grateful for everything that we’ve been able to achieve, and sadly that’s just not true for most Americans today…It’s important that we all try to figure out what we’re going to do, and that’s what I’ve done my entire life, fighting for a higher minimum wage, or family leave…equal pay for equal work…I think my record speaks for itself.” · *At a speech at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June, Hillary **said* <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nswp_KBBjdM>*:* “At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team. We’re on the American team. And we’ve got to do a better job of getting our economy growing again and producing results and renewing the American Dream so that Americans feel that they have a stake in the future and that the economy and the political system is not stacked against them, because that will erode the trust that is at the basis of our democracy.” ELEVEN THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HILLARY *Secretary Clinton helped restore America’s leadership and standing in the world during a time of global challenges and changes.* Secretary Clinton worked tirelessly to revitalize American diplomacy and strengthen alliances by traveling nearly a million miles for hundreds of meetings with foreign leaders in 112 countries. As America’s lead diplomat, Secretary Clinton understood the importance of engaging the public and took diplomacy directly to people around the world. Just as she was as a senator, Secretary Clinton was a workhorse, often taking on difficult challenges and addressing them directly around the world. *Secretary Clinton built and maintained a coalition to enact the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history. *Secretary Clinton helped impose the toughest sanctions in Iran’s history by getting Russia and China on board. Even the Wall Street Journal <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703957904575252600443502256?KEYWORDS=HILLARY+clinton> editorial board noted that, “Clinton surely pulled out every stop to get Russia and particularly China…on board.” And as Howard Dean recently told CNN <http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1311/25/cg.02.html>, “Hillary Clinton cranked up the sanctions for the first time under President Obama that actually made the Iranians come to the table.” *Secretary Clinton played an integral role in the New START Treaty with Russia. *Secretary Clinton played an active role in reaching a missile reduction agreement with Russia, working to push it through the Senate <http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/11/clinton.start.treaty/> and securing more than the necessary two-thirds majority. She entered the treaty into force <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/02/156037.htm> in Munich with her Russian counterpart. As a result of the treaty’s passage, there will be fewer nuclear missile launchers <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/02/156037.htm>. Simply put, the world is safer. *Secretary Clinton supported the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice.* As NBC’s Brian Williams reported <http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/02/11493919-president-obama-bin-laden-raid-is-most-important-single-day-of-my-presidency> on his website, “Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended an air strike with no forces on the ground. CIA Director Panetta supported a raid by Special Forces and so did Secretary of State Clinton.” *Secretary Clinton helped avert all-out war in Gaza by negotiating a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians. *In November 2012, after eight days of violence, Secretary Clinton negotiated a Gaza cease-fire with Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. In an article titled “Hillary Clinton scores Gaza cease fire success,” Politico noted <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84145.html> that, “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got a Gaza cease-fire right at the moment hope seemed dead for a rapid end to the violence…” *Secretary Clinton played a role in bringing one war to an end and planning for the end of another.*Working closely with Department of Defense colleagues and as part of the President’s national security team, Secretary Clinton played a role in the end of war in Iraq and in beginning a transition in Afghanistan, with all NATO allies having agreed to stand-up a post withdrawal support plan. As President Obama told 60 Minutes <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-and-clinton-the-60-minutes-interview/3/>, it was “all a consequence of the great work that Hillary did and her team did and the State Department did in conjunction with our national security team.” *Secretary Clinton was critical in America’s “pivot to Asia” strategy.* As Martin Indyk of the Brookings Institute wrote in Foreign Policy <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/06/20/debating_hillary#sthash.tKnaZMYq.dpbs>, “The ‘pivot’ to East Asia will probably be Obama’s most lasting strategic achievement… [but] it is Clinton’s too. She laid the groundwork, built the relationships, and developed the complex architecture of the new strategy — and she turned up at that pivotal moment in Vietnam in July 2010 to declare the U.S. commitment to the region.” Secretary Clinton earned praise <http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/hard-diplomatic-work-pays-off-in-myanmar/1262961> for her work in opening up Burma, a place that had not been visited by a Secretary of State in 50 years. *Secretary Clinton worked to build the coalition to oust Qadhafi and stop massacres in Libya. *As the Washington Post reported <http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-10-30/world/35277483_1_brega-misurata-benghazi> upon the end of NATO operations in Libya, “U.S. officials and key allies are offering a detailed new defense of the approach and Clinton’s pivotal role – both within a divided Cabinet and a fragile, assembled-on-the-fly international alliance. What emerges from these accounts is a picture of Clinton using her mixture of political pragmatism and tenacity to referee spats among NATO partners, secure crucial backing from Arab countries and tutor rebels on the fine points of message management.” *Secretary Clinton engaged in economic statecraft.* Secretary Clinton’s focus on economic engagement resulted in increased investment <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-10/how-hillary-clinton-created-a-u-s-business-promotion-machine.html> through three new free trade agreements <http://www.state.gov/e/eb/tpp/bta/fta/c26474.htm> (Colombia <http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/01/155566.htm>,Panama <http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/10/175348.htm> and South Korea <http://translations.state.gov/st/english/texttrans/2011/04/20110417130630tegdirb5.767465e-02.html#axzz2nwkRuZel>) and 15 Open Skies agreements <http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/ata/114805.htm> including with Japan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Israel. *Secretary Clinton brought the State Department into the 21st Century. *Secretary Clinton helped the State Department adapt to emerging issues such as cyber security by creating the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications <http://www.state.gov/r/cscc/> to combat Al-Qaeda’s growing influence online. She recognized the important role of energy in U.S. foreign policy and helped create the Bureau of Energy Resources <http://blogs.state.gov/stories/2011/11/18/us-department-state-establishes-new-bureau-energy-resources> to protect our energy infrastructure and influence how nations move to cleaner fuel. *Secretary Clinton elevated the cause of women’s rights to new heights*. Secretary Clinton recognized women’s rights as a major foreign policy issue. It is, according to Newsweek, the area of “hardships faced by women and girls across the world–that her impact has been most profound.” Hillary convinced the White House to allow her to create a new position at the State Department: Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. Newsweek continued, “Across the world, in diverse and deeply reactionary cultures, Clinton and [Ambassador-at-Large] Verveer have spoken and fought to liberalize attitudes on women’s role in the economy, girls’ schooling, women’s health, domestic violence, issues arising from war and conflict, and myriad other concerns.”