Sarah Palin: Hillary Clinton ill-suited for president
September 23rd, 2013
09:21 AM ET
10 years ago

Sarah Palin: Hillary Clinton ill-suited for president

Washington (CNN) - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she would be "disappointed" in the American electorate if Hillary Clinton becomes a serious candidate for president in 2016.

The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee argued Clinton would not be right for the role as commander in chief after four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, died last year in a terrorist attack against a U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker'] [twitter-follow screen_name='KilloughCNN']

"If (Benghazi) doesn't have an impact on the 2016 presidential election, if she is a candidate, then America, I am very disappointed in our electorate," Palin said Sunday on Fox News, where she's a contributor.

She said "anyone who would just throw away 200 years of military ethos and leave our men behind to be murdered" should "never be considered as a commander in chief."

The lack of security at the consulate and the September 11, 2012 attack are poised to be a major point of contention by Republicans if Clinton decides to run for president. Clinton ultimately took responsibility for diplomats' safety, and was grilled before two congressional committees in January.

At one point she lost her temper while responding to questions from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. He was asking her about the erroneous, initial talking points that claimed the attack stemmed from a spontaneous protest against an anti-Islam video, though the administration later defined it as a terrorist attack and said a protest never happened.

"What difference at this point does it make?" Clinton responded. "It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator."

The attack on Benghazi is still a matter of congressional investigation by House Republicans.

"That's why I'm so grateful for Congress to be pursuing what happened in Benghazi," Palin said. "Because at this point, it still makes a difference what happens in Benghazi."

"Anyone who doesn't understand that and dismisses it as being indifferent, they should not be our commander in chief," she continued.

For her part, Clinton said in a recent interview with New York Magazine that she is in no hurry to decide about a potential 2016 bid for the White House, saying it is a decision "not to be made lightly."

Asked how she plans to combat any conflicts she may face related to her political legacy, she said the best course is to "find common ground."

"I have a lot of reason to believe, as we saw in the 2012 election, most Americans don't agree with the extremists on any side of an issue," Clinton said in the interview. "But there needs to continue to be an effort to find common ground, or even take it to higher ground on behalf of the future."

Palin's comments mark a stark contrast to high praise Clinton received Sunday from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who said if Clinton decides to run, "she will win."

"And when she becomes president, she'll be one of the best-equipped, best-prepared people to enter the White House in a very long time," Pelosi said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Noting Clinton's experience as secretary of state, as a U.S. senator from New York and as a first lady, Pelosi said Clinton would be "more prepared than President Obama; certainly more prepared than President Bush; certainly more prepared than President Clinton I might admit."


Filed under: 2016 • Hillary Clinton • Libya • Sarah Palin
soundoff (1,017 Responses)
  1. Jack

    She only opens her mouth to switch feet!

    September 23, 2013 08:03 pm at 8:03 pm |
  2. Michelle Bruce

    Sarah Palin is nothing but a total JOKE, she should not b able to have the brains to be any type of Elected Official here in the USA, maybe she can only be a under rated elected official I her own wrap mind that still uses notes on her hands to get her bye at any speaking engagements that she gets paid a lot of money for. All Palin is in it for the money to make herself or family or republication party rich, as her actions clearly shows that true fact about her. Heck my dog can get elected to any political office better than she can. At last my dog will not lie to your face, like she has appeared to done before.

    September 23, 2013 08:03 pm at 8:03 pm |
  3. glenno

    I said it once and I'll say it again, Palin is no walking dictionary or a walking encyclopedia, but neither are her adversaries, and that includes all the snide and stupid comments from this soundoff post. At least she had a son who volunteered to be on the front lines along with the other brave men and women of this country, while you and your dumb comments sat on the side lines. If you don't like what I just said, (get over it) She will be the next President

    September 23, 2013 08:05 pm at 8:05 pm |
  4. Jim Wagner

    I agree with Gov. Palin. Hillary would just be a less feminine version of obama. That would not be good!

    September 23, 2013 08:09 pm at 8:09 pm |
  5. Gr8guru

    Since when is anything SP says relevant? She lost her party the election, she let down her voters in Alaska when she ran out on her office. The Repub's should throw her out of the party and find someone credible and inelligent to speak for them. Yes, she has freedom of speech, but the rest of us have freedom not to listen to her babbling. C'mon GOP, do the right thing.

    September 23, 2013 08:21 pm at 8:21 pm |
  6. Pieter

    Is Ms. Sarah Palin a stand-up comedian from.........Alaska? Yes, she is....;)

    September 23, 2013 08:22 pm at 8:22 pm |
  7. badcafe

    Well, when it comes to Presidential Candidates, we've certainly scraped the bottom of the barrel, haven't we guv'ner?

    September 23, 2013 08:27 pm at 8:27 pm |
  8. Fish

    I guess America's oldest cheerleader is an authority on the Presidency now or on women or on quitters or on being lame, she s a COMMEDIENNES DREAM!!! but America's nightmare. Andy Warhol said15 minutes not 15 years!!!

    September 23, 2013 08:30 pm at 8:30 pm |
  9. Larry

    It's amazing how she still gets press. An uneducated loser who lets everyone know her opinions. Who cares?

    September 23, 2013 08:34 pm at 8:34 pm |
  10. Matt

    You can make all the nasty little comments you want from behind your keyboards, and I'll say she's not always made sense. But with what she says here, I can agree.

    September 23, 2013 08:42 pm at 8:42 pm |
  11. Mark

    Welp that's another test that Hillary has passed, on the way to the Presidency.

    If Caribou Barbie Palin wants to hurt Hillary, ENDORSE her. Saying you don't like Hillary means she's qualified.

    LOL.

    September 23, 2013 08:43 pm at 8:43 pm |
  12. Silver Parnell

    I can't believe CNN is wasting space on anything Sarah Palin has to say. She's made numerous gaffes that highlight her lack of intelligence and knowledge of history. Who cares what she has to say about anything? She couldn't even finish one term in Alaska, and her reasons for abandoning her post were nebulous, at best. On the outside, it appears that she found the spotlight so attractive that she couldn't resist going after it rather than even finishing the job she set out to do. Her opinion about politicians is worthless.

    September 23, 2013 08:48 pm at 8:48 pm |
  13. JOE B

    I don't usually agree with Sarah Palin but do in this case. Hillary would push the Bush, Obama agenda and put our servicemen in more danger by forcing us to fight in more wars that only benefit the elite.

    September 23, 2013 08:48 pm at 8:48 pm |
  14. 1alien1

    oh common, we should be able to laugh at her by now. the only person that does not know how dim she is palin herself. why get upset at a fool?

    September 23, 2013 09:02 pm at 9:02 pm |
  15. Kselden

    This coming from a person who resigned her post as governor of Alaska.

    September 23, 2013 09:06 pm at 9:06 pm |
  16. Michael

    What the hell is Sarah talking about? Nobody is running for commander of anything and no military personnel were killed at Benghazi. Never let the actual facts get in the way.

    September 23, 2013 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |
  17. larry

    Please don't go away, Saray. Liberals need you to help get Hillary elected.

    September 23, 2013 09:26 pm at 9:26 pm |
  18. Paul Kerr

    Really. I would vote for Hillary 10000 times before I would even read Palin's name. What an idiot.Maybe an IQ test should become a pre-requisite for running for any public office???????

    September 23, 2013 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |
  19. Rebecca Murphy

    LOL that is a real "nutball" LOL

    September 23, 2013 09:29 pm at 9:29 pm |
  20. Demolishican

    I'd like to know what makes "progressives" believe Hillary is so smart, or even smart at all. Ducking hostile fire, can't find her papers, fired from the Watergate investigation, spending American's money helping terrorists take over Libya? Everything she has touched has turned to garbage. She even lies about the trivial, like how she got her name. She isn't smart, intellectuals are just stupid.

    September 23, 2013 09:29 pm at 9:29 pm |
  21. gthog61

    Why not hillary? obama didn't have any qualifications, can't go much lower. Go ahead and knock out all the quota hires now.

    September 23, 2013 09:33 pm at 9:33 pm |
  22. Neal Powers

    Now THIS is funny! The ex-guv of Alaska, who has never fulfilled a term of office, is castigating a past Secretary of State. Is there no bottom to Tea Party twit-hood?

    September 23, 2013 09:47 pm at 9:47 pm |
  23. GlennNM

    Now if THAT isn't a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

    September 23, 2013 09:55 pm at 9:55 pm |
  24. Ramon F Herrera

    NASA scientists and researchers from the top universities have come up with a very precise model and its formulas: for every inch that the derriere of Mrs. Palin falls, she loses 5 million voters.

    All we have to do is allow gravity do its ineluctable job...

    September 23, 2013 10:02 pm at 10:02 pm |
  25. jlg

    – I'm not a U.S citizen; but I gotta wonder about US mental health care systems.
    – I'm not a Doctor, but I gotta wonder about Palin's mental-wellness.
    – I'm not an NRA supporter/or critic, but I gotta wonder why this person has access to guns?

    September 23, 2013 10:04 pm at 10:04 pm |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41