Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told members of Congress Thursday that “we need leadership at home to match our leadership abroad, leadership that puts national security ahead of politics and ideology.”
Clinton suggested Thursday in her opening statement to the Benghazi Committee, “I know it’s possible to find common ground, because I have done it. We should debate on the basis of fact, not fear. We should resist denigrating the patriotism or loyalty with those with who we disagree.”
Hillary Clinton: Finally, there’s one more observation I would like to share. I traveled to 112 countries as secretary of state. Every time I did, I felt great pride and honor, representing the country that I love. We need leadership at home to match our leadership abroad, leadership that puts national security ahead of politics and ideology. Our nation has a long history of bipartisan cooperation on foreign policy and national security. Not that we always agree. Far from it. But we do come together when it counts. As secretary of state, I worked with the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to pass a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with Russia. I worked with the Republican leader, Sen. [crscore]Mitch McConnell[/crscore], to open up Burma, now Myanmar, to democratic change. I know it’s possible to find common ground, because I have done it.
We should debate on the basis of fact, not fear. We should resist denigrating the patriotism or loyalty with those with who we disagree. So I’m here. Despite all the previous investigations and all the talk about partisan agendas, I’m here to honor those we lost and to do what I can to aid those who serve us still. My challenge to you, members of this committee, is the same challenge I put to myself. Let’s be worthy of the trust the American people have bestowed upon us. they expect us to lead, to learn the right lessons, to rise above partisanship and to reach for statesmanship. That’s what I try to do every day as secretary of state. And it’s what I hope we will all strive for here today and into the future. Thank you.