Speaking before The American Jewish Congress yesterday, Hillary Clinton said she is “skeptical” about reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran. According to The Washington Post:
Clinton said the United States should “give space for diplomacy to work” and avoid imposing new unilateral sanctions or any other actions that might lead any allies to back out of existing international sanctions against Iran.
“The odds of reaching that comprehensive agreement are not good,” Clinton said. “I am also personally skeptical that the Iranians would follow through and deliver. I have seen their behavior over years. But this is a development that is worth testing.”
If the negotiations with Iran fail, Clinton said, the United States should explore “every other option.” “Let’s be clear,” she said, “every other option does remain on the table.”
But, at the end of 2013, Clinton’s allies made sure that the media knew that if there was a deal, it would be a Clinton success story from her time as Secretary of State:
But in the minds of Clinton allies, it should be clear where she stands: She backs the diplomatic efforts, and they note she sent her top aide, Jake Sullivan, to Oman at the initiation of talks in 2011. The allies say she was closely involved in the sanctions that paved the way toward a deal, but that she’s also not jumping in to declare the job is finished.
On CNN today, the Associated Press’ Julie Pace said, “On the one hand, you have her wrapping her arms around the nuclear negotiations and then on the other hand when it looks like they’re not going to be fruitful [Clinton says] ‘Oh, I have always been
skeptical.”
As CNN concluded on Clinton’s dance around Iran, “sounds like she’s a politician. What a shock!”