While outlining her plan to defeat the Islamic State group at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City Thursday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dismissed the notion that any connection exists between Islam and acts of terror.

“The bottom line is that we are in a contest of ideas against an ideology of hate, and we have to win,” she said. “Let’s be clear, though, Islam is not our adversary. Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people, and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.

“The obsession in some quarters with a clash of civilization, or repeating the specific words radical Islamic terrorism isn’t just a distraction, it gives these criminals, these murderers more standing than they deserve. It actually plays into their hands by alienating partners we need by our side.”

Anyone looking for specificity in her proposal to achieve victory against the Islamic terrorists had to have been disappointed. Her plan was long on platitudes and short on details.

“Our strategy should have three main elements,” Clinton said. “One: Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq and across the Middle East.”

So, the first step in defeating ISIS is to defeat ISIS?

“Two, disrupt and dismantle the growing terrorist infrastructure that facilitates the flow of fighters, financing, arms, and propaganda around the world,” she continued.

All of which sounds similar to her first step — if we’ve defeated ISIS, we have, by extension, disrupted and dismantled its “ terrorist infrastructure that facilitates the flow of fighters, financing, arms, and propaganda.” But she wasn’t finished.

“Three, harden our defenses and those of our allies against external and homegrown threats,” Clinton said.

And how do we achieve this?

“Local people and nations have to secure their own communities,” she said. “We can help them, and we should, but we cannot substitute for them. … Our increased support should go hand in hand with increased support from Arab partners.”

It sounds painfully similar to what the Obama administration is doing — abdicating America’s traditional role in the world by leading from behind, which is not leading at all.

Watch the clip.