It is routine for news outlets that are less than objective to grasp at thoughtless remarks by centrists and loose canons on the other side of the political aisle. That Newsmax swooped down on this ridiculous comment like a Spring robin on a worm is not surprising. It is infuriating and reprehensible, however, that Zbigniew Brzezinski provided this fictional ammunition to those who are always at the ready to denigrate anything and everything Hillary Clinton does, has done, or sets out to do.
While there have been many times when it has been necessary to mount a defense here against right-wing and Tea Party operatives, it is unusual to have to defend Hillary’s record against someone supposedly on her side of the divide. If this were coming from Jennifer Rubin (see refutation of her assessment of Hillary’s legacy here), for example, I might have shrugged it off at this point since, like The Ancient Mariner, she continues repeating the same refrain ad nauseam. It comes, however, from someone who should know better, has some credibility in some quarters, and therefore requires correction.
Hillary Clinton was never a shrinking violet on issues relating to Iran, not on their nuclear aspirations and not on their human rights record. Here are some links that support this statement dating back to 2009.
Video: Secretary Clinton’s Remarks on Iran
September 24, 2009
Secretary Clinton: Further Remarks on Iran
September 26, 2009
Video: Secretary Clinton’s Remarks on Armenia, Iran, and Honduras
March 6, 2010
Three video shorts: Hillary Clinton in Estonia on Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria
April 25, 2010
Videos: Hillary Clinton’s Remarks on North Korea and Iran
May 25, 2010
Secretary Clinton’s Remarks on the Anniversary of Iran’s Disputed Presidential Election
June 12, 2010
Secretary Clinton’s Statement on Passage of Iran Sanctions Legislation
June 25, 2010
Hillary Clinton Speaks Out For Sakineh, Gays, and Greens in Iran
August 10, 2010
Hillary Clinton Speaks Out Against Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iran
August 12, 2010
Secretary Clinton’s Statement on Deteriorating Human Rights Situation in Iran
February 24, 2011
Video: Secretary Clinton Announces Changes to Iranian Student Visa Validity
May 20, 2011
Secretary Clinton’s Statement: Repression in Iran and Syria
June 14, 2011
Secretaries Clinton & Geithner: Joint Statement on Iran Sanctions
June 23, 2011
Secretary Clinton Commends IAEA Resolution on Iran
November 20, 2011
Secretary Clinton: Measures to Increase Pressure on Iran **Video**
November 21, 2011
Hillary Clinton: Significant Reductions of Iranian Crude Oil Purchases
June 11, 2012
China and Singapore Earn Clinton Credit on Reducing Iranian Crude Imports
June 28, 2012
Hillary Clinton’s Statement on Iran
September 14, 2012
Clearly, Hillary Clinton leaned hard on Iran throughout her tenure at the State Department. To suggest that she was pussy-footing flies in the face of the record. To say that as Secretary of State she calibrated her actions according to a distant future campaign that remains imaginary to this day badly insults her strong performance on many fronts, not just Iran. That this comes from a voice perceived to be within her own camp and the party in power as she carried out these policies is treacherous and dangerous in that the audience receiving this message is inimical to the progress of the administration she represented in this position.
A last, and important factor that Brzezinski failed to address is the transfer of power within Iran since Hillary stepped down. She was dealing with Ahmedinejad. Secretary Kerry inherited the groundwork she laid with a hard line on sanctions (that worked) and a new, reform leader whose openness to a kind of glasnost was apparent from the beginning.
It is facile and pointless to compare the performances of these two secretaries of state. It borders on slander to design a scenario wherein Hillary Clinton was operating not out of loyalty to her oath but rather out of a political ambition imagined by someone purportedly on her own side of the fence.
Brzezinski is dead wrong on this. He is wrong about the facts, and he is wrong to have invented a back story the intent of which only could have been to tarnish the record of a fine public servant who deserves our thanks for her very dedicated, selfless work for all of us. These were graceless remarks. He should retract them and apologize for misrepresenting Hillary Clinton based on no fact and no knowledge whatsoever.
Hillary! We’ve got your back!
Still4Hill 
Uh, yeah, how was Hillary supposed to negotiate a peace deal with Ahmedinejad? What’s next– are they going to slam her for not accompanying Dennis Rodman to North Korea?
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if the wingnuts do that it is one thing. When Brzezinski comes out of left field on his daughter’s show, it is another.
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Exactly this:
And Brzezinski was the asswipe who “discovered” Jimmy Carter and made the hell hole in Afghanistan. I blame the entire Reagan-years and the generation lost to the Young Republicans Club on that pompous idiot.
In summary, I don’t care much for his opinion on anything.
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Me neither. Nor do I care for his daughter or anything she says.
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Zbig has never been on her side. Ever. Remember that Mica, his daughter, and co-host of this show missed no opportunity to diss her in ’08. MSNBC will never give her a break.
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Actually, last night Rachel Maddow had two positive references to Hillary on her show. There were two different stories and the references to Hillary were more “supporting material” for the main story than the focus, but still positive nonetheless. One was about the selective editing Issa does. Rachel starts with the fake scandal over the Hubbell tapes, where she shows how Issa employs the same characters and behaviors from then. The other is Hillary making an impressive statement on LGBT rights while discussing the Utah story.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
Court: Utah gay marriage ban unconstitutional, Hillary part begins @3:11
Issa distorts with cherry-picked leaks, Hillary part begins @ the beginning
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Thanks, Sophie. I have had to limit my viewing of msnbc. Fewer outbreaks of hives this way.
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LOL! I know what you mean. I can’t watch Lawrence O’Donnell at all!. I pretty much limit it to Rachel and Chris Hayes. Everyone else makes me want to puke.
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I used to watch straight through 7-11, but started limiting all of it over Thanksgiving weekend. I really needed a break. If Hillary does run we are all going to have to monitor all of them. I figured this was a good time for a vacation from them.
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I so appreciate your comprehensive answer to him, by the way, but he and his daughter have never let something as pesky as the facts stop them.
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They both are so annoying!
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my god, what an absolutely stupid thing for him to say. he says IF hillary was thinking about 2016 (and there’s zero proof of this), she MAY not have done a good job as SoS. this is the worst kind of speculative statement anyone could make. how unbelievably irresponsible from someoone who really should know better.
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Agree!
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Very irresponsible for a man that served under the Carter administration. She the daughter, Miss Mika never supported Hillary. Many folk on the show who admire Hillary share good things and have much respect for our girl. Mika on the other hand stops the conversation and goes to the next topic and never giving Hillary any credit for anything ever. I have seen her do this time after time on the show. She always flirting with the men on the show. It’s aggravating to watch. The Conservative groups will be using his statements in campaign commercials. How stupid is that.
Brzezinski and the daughter need to move on. I watch New Day on CNN now so I do not get a heart attack watching these people on Morning Joe.
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Mika thinks she’s cute and is always posing. I think some women are envious of Hillary and want to be her or think they can compete with her. Mika is one of them
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at least, joe, the republican host on that show, really likes hillary. 🙂
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He calls her his girlfriend, and I think it gets on Mika’s nerves.
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[…] that Hillary, a dedicated public servant, used her position for personal and political gain was first floated on Morning Joe by the father of one of the co-anchors, a noted progressive political consultant. Many Hillary […]
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[…] MSNBC attacks on Hillary this time around began in December when Mika Brzezinski’s influential dad came on her morning show to fire a shot at our girl. Outrageously suggesting that Hillary’s decisions as Secretary of State were influenced by […]
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