So, the first Democratic presidential debate has come and gone. And while there were no major gaffes from the two front-runners, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Clinton actually said something that really bothered me. Late in the debate, channeling a famous FDR quote, CNN's Anderson Cooper asked "which enemy are you most proud of?"
Clinton replied "In addition to the NRA, the health insurance companies, the drug companies, the Iranians, probably the Republicans."
Putting aside the fact that Hillary Clinton has received a lot of donations from big pharmaceutical companies, that's a whole other post, when she said the Iranians are her enemies, frankly, that sent a chill down my spine.
The Iranians? Who exactly is she talking about? Is she talking about all Iranians?
There are 78 million people in Iran. 78 million. Are all 78 million of them Hillary Clinton's enemies? If so, that's a lot of enemies.
And look, to be fair, she probably meant the government of Iran. But that's not what she said. She said THE Iranians.
A lot of people when talking about the 2016 campaign, say that Hillary Clinton seems the most "presidential." And she's certainly smart. She certainly has experience. But, I'm sorry, that comment about Iran, that's not presidential. That's Bush league. And when I say Bush league, I'm specifically talking about George W. Bush. Like when he called Iran part of the Axis of Evil.
We all know Hillary Clinton is a hawk. I don't need to remind you, Hillary Clinton did, in fact, support George W. Bush's war of aggression in Iraq. A war that caused so much death and destruction. Which destabilized the Middle East. Which led to the current rise of ISIS. But, if Hillary Clinton is going to be saber rattling, I, at least, hope that she would choose her language more carefully.
You want to say the Iranian government is your enemy? Fine. The Ayatollah is your enemy? Fine. I, personally, think that's bad diplomacy. But, fine. The Iranian government is your enemy. You're tough. I get it.
But think of the rest of the 78 million Iranians, who saw one of the front-runners for the President of the United States of America, not Donald Trump, not some Republican war monger, but one of the Democratic party front-runners just call them, ALL of them enemies. Her enemies.
What about Iranian Americans? Are they Hillary Clinton's enemies, as well?
If you care about peace. If you care about Islamophobia in America, language like this should really concern you.