On “Face the Nation” today, Bernie Sanders defended Hillary Clinton, but at the same time clearly stated their differences. He also bashed the current GOP candidates for their obvious warmongering, ineptitude, and inability to address real issues.
CBS host John Dickerson asked Bernie about people who say Hillary Clinton’s practice of using a private email server while secretary of state makes her untrustworthy. Rather than bite and attack, Bernie stated:
Hillary Clinton has been under all kinds of attack for many, many years. In fact, I can’t think of many personalities who have been attacked for more reasons than Hillary Clinton. And by the way, let me be frank and I’m running against her: Some of it is sexist. I don’t know that a man would be treated the same way that Hillary is.
Sander did point out their differences, like on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (Sanders opposes it; Clinton has not stated her position); their vote on the Iraq War and the Patriot Act (Sanders voted no both times; Clinton voted yes); and their approach to Wall Street (“I think we have to take on the billionaire class and Wall Street. I’m not quite sure that that’s her view,” Bernie said).
The best part of the show, however, was watching Bernie attack the present GOP candidates:
Apparently, most of the candidates up there do not remember the consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the kind of easy feeling, the kind of non-consequential talk about going to war or rejecting the president’s effort to negotiate an agreement with Iran disturbed me very much because I think these people do not know what the war in Iraq did to our people, did to the people in Iraq.
Bernie emphasized that it was inexcusable for the GOP candidates not to at least address their opinions on climate change, income inequality, and the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
Bernie also explained his support for the Iran nuclear deal, stating:
Look, I’m not going to tell you that this is a perfect agreement. And every agreement can be better. But what the president has had to do is negotiate with the P5+1 and Iran. And I think that reaching an agreement, giving it a chance, makes a lot more sense. . . . Do we really want another war, a war with Iran? An asymmetrical warfare that will take place all over this world, threaten American troops? I think we go as far as we possibly can in trying to give peace a chance.
For more on this story, click Bernie Sanders: Some of Clinton criticism is “sexist”
