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UP FRONTFriday 3 June 2016
Obama warns Air Force grads over isolationism Clinton says electing Trump
JOSH LEDERMAN For Obama, the speech tially lead to a trade war. would be “historic mistakeâ€
Associated Press was part of a yearly tradi- Obama’s rebuke of that
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, tion of addressing one of philosophy came the same CATHERINE LUCEY
Colo. (AP) — President the military’s four service day the likely Democratic Associated Press
Barack Obama implored academies at graduation. nominee, Hillary Clinton, SAN DIEGO (AP) — Previewing a rancorous fall cam-
the next generation of U.S. The president addressed launched an attack on paign, Hillary Clinton assailed Donald Trump on Thurs-
military leaders Thursday cadets in an outdoor cer- Trump’s foreign policy with day as a potential president who would lead America
not to give in to isolationism emony that culminated in a speech in San Diego. toward war and economic crisis. She portrayed her
own foreign policy as optimistic, inclusive and diplo-
The Air Force Thunderbirds fly overhead as graduating cadets celebrate with the “hat toss†after matic, born from long experience in public life.
graduation ceremonies at the 2016 class of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Thursday, June 2, 2016, in There was nothing diplomatic in her remarks, a clear
Colorado Springs, Colo. A Thunderbirds jet crashed after a flyover of the academy commence- indication of how she’ll take Trump on. Electing him,
ment attended by President Barack Obama. she said, would be “a historic mistake.â€
During a speech in San Diego that was billed as a for-
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) eign policy address, the Democratic former secretary
of state unloaded on her likely Republican election
or pull back from U.S. lead- a dramatic Thunderbird fly- Clinton assailed Trump as opponent, counting down reasons he is not qualified
ership in the world, drawing over at the moment cadets dangerous to U.S. national - from his aggressive Twitter attacks to his emotional
a contrast with a foreign toss their caps — a mo- security and unqualified outbursts.
policy vision that’s been ment later marred by the to serve as commander “He is not just unprepared; he is temperamentally un-
laid out by Donald Trump. news that one of the jets in chief. Though Obama fit,†she told supporters in a ballroom. “We cannot let
Obama used his final com- had crashed shortly after has waited to start cam- him roll the dice with America.â€
mencement address as completing the maneuver. paigning in earnest until She said a Trump presidency could spark nuclear con-
president to reassure the Obama was at the stadium the Democratic primary is flicts overseas and ignite economic catastrophe at
military that it remains the at the time of the crash. concluded, he’s worked home.
world’s dominant fight- Air Force spokeswoman Lt. increasingly to undermine “There’s no risk of people losing their lives if you blow up
ing force, implicitly push- Col. Michal Kloeffler-How- Trump’s appeal by attack- a golf course deal, but it doesn’t work like that in world
ing back against critiques ard said the pilot ejected. ing his policies directly and affairs,†Clinton said of the celebrity businessman. “The
that the military’s might has After returning to Peterson indirectly. A day earlier, stakes in global statecraft are infinitely higher and
ebbed under his watch. Air Force Base, Obama Obama was in a conser- more complex than in the world of luxury hotels.â€
Under searing sun and met with the pilot, who vative stretch of Indiana She mocked Trump’s Twitter blasts and predicted
sweeping blue skies at was walking around, as on a self-described “myth- he was preparing more as she spoke. As if on cue,
the U.S. Air Force Acad- well as first responders who busting†mission to derail he tweeted after she finished: “Bad performance by
emy, he told graduates treated him. “The president GOP arguments on the Crooked Hillary Clinton! Reading poorly from the tele-
they’d be called upon to thanked the pilot for his economy. “When we pan- promter! She doesn’t even look presidential!â€
strike a complicated bal- service to the country and ic, we don’t make good Trump, meanwhile, got an endorsement he’d been
ance between realism and expressed his relief that decisions,†Obama told the seeking, from Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan,
idealism, withdrawal and the pilot was not seriously Air Force Academy gradu- who had resisted even after the businessman clinched
overreach. “We can’t be injured,†said White House ates and their families. He the GOP nomination.
isolationists. It’s not possible spokesman Josh Earnest. said that the U.S. had to Clinton’s robust assault on Trump was widely carried on
in this globalized, intercon- In his remarks, Obama engage with the world but television, a change for the leading Democratic can-
nected world,†Obama didn’t mention Trump or must also be wary of over- didate who’s frequently struggled to break through
said. “In these uncertain other presidential candi- extending itself, particularly coverage of Trump.
times, it’s tempting some- dates by name, but his with regard to military inter- She is ramping up her criticism of the presumptive Re-
times to try to pull back target was clear. Trump, vention. “We have to chart publican nominee and trying to quell concerns within
and wash our hands from the presumptive Republi- a smarter path,†he said. her own party that she isn’t ready to rumble with the
conflicts that seem intrac- can nominee, has called “As we saw in Vietnam and famously combative Trump. She offered a number of
table, let other countries repeatedly for putting the Iraq war, oftentimes aggressive new attack lines, at times baiting Trump to
fend of themselves.†“America first†by rethink- the greatest damage to respond by calling him “thin skinned.â€
Calling isolationism a “false ing U.S. alliances, spending American credibility comes She hit Trump for his reality television past, for his snarky
comfort,†he added that less to ensure other coun- when we overreach, when Twitter feed, for his hotel experience.
history had shown how tries’ security and enacting we don’t think through the She ran down a list of people he has insulted, including
“oceans alone cannot pro- strict tariffs that Trump ac- consequences of all of our the pope. And she assailed Trump over many state-
tect us.†knowledges could poten- actions.â€q ments, criticizing him for seeking to ban Muslims from
entering the country, for talking about leaving NATO
and for suggesting Japan could one day acquire nu-
clear weapons. “He has the gall to say prisoners of war
like John McCain aren’t heroes,†Clinton said. “He says
he has foreign policy experience because he ran the
Miss Universe pageant.â€
Emphasizing her experience as first lady, senator and
secretary of state, Clinton said she recognizes what it
means to deploy American troops and would provide
the steady diplomacy the country needs.
Clinton and Trump offer starkly different visions of U.S.
foreign policy. Her proposals reflect the traditional ap-
proach of both major parties. Despite differences on
some issues, such as the Iraq war and Iran, Democratic
and Republican presidents have been generally con-
sistent on policies affecting China, Russia, North Korea,
nuclear proliferation, trade, alliances and many other
issues.q
