Clinton: No troops in Syria, even if attack on US soil

And she acknowledged that the US desire to see the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who she said has slaughtered more Syrians than terrorists have, isn’t a top priority. Clinton and Sanders both oppose that idea.

Clinton reiterated her support for a no-fly zone over the northern region of Syria – a step opposed by Obama – saying it would help with conditions on the ground and pressure Assad to reach a political settlement in peace talks being brokered by Secretary of State John Kerry.

The relatively hawkish Clinton stopped short of calling for a large-scale USA military deployment on the ground, instead demanding greater support for local and regional ground forces.

That also ties in with the third element of Clinton’s strategy – protecting the USA against homegrown as well as external threats. As the Los Angeles Times pointed out over the weekend, the vast majority of the schemes to fight ISIS put forth from the leading contenders in the GOP field amount to: more airstrikes, more aide to the Kurds, more special ops advisors, and a stronger coalition of partners.

“We should be sending more”, she said.

“Time is of the essence”, Clinton added.

The Democratic presidential frontrunner also took at aim a few of her potential Republican opponents who have called for the U.S.to stop accepting Syrian refugees.

Her repeated calls for America to take the global lead marked a change in emphasis.

She did not say whether this should include more Americans but made clear the bulk of the fight should be done with local forces.

Clinton echoed that sentiment one day later, declaring: “This is a time for American leadership”.

“By September and October of 2016, people will begin to realize that Hillary Clinton is the most qualified, most knowledgeable, most experienced and the best person to be president”, said Bill Owen, a Clinton backer from Knoxville.

The former secretary of state was unsparing in criticizing US allies Turkey and Saudia Arabia, along with Qatar and other Gulf Arab states, for facilitating extremism or looking the other way.

“There is not going to be a successful military effort at this point to overturn Assad”, Clinton said.

On the contrary, Clinton insisted, Islamic terrorism has nothing to do with Islam.

“We can not allow terrorists to intimidate us into abandoning our values and humanitarian obligations”, said Clinton.

Silicon Valley companies, she said, must not view government as its adversary when it comes to formulating counter-terrorism policies.

In NY, Clinton plans to offer her vision for “defeating ISIS and eliminating the immediate threats it poses”, her campaign said, describing a speech focused on homeland security and the role of US leadership around the globe. He took a subtle dig at Clinton, citing the invasion of Iraq – an operation Clinton backed as a senator – as destabilizing the entire region for decades.

“Our goal should be to achieve the kind of penetration we accomplished with Al Qaeda in the past”, she said.

Though Sanders eschews traditional capitalism and doesn’t run as a Democrat for his Senate seat, he is pursuing the presidency as a Democrat. Marco Rubio of Florida support it.

Clinton vowed to keep American troops out of Syria.

To start, there should be a “broader target set” for a more “more effective coalition air campaign” in the Middle East, she said.

“ISIS can only be defeated through a ground force, the bulk of which is made up of Sunnis themselves who reject their ideology and defeat them militarily”, said Sen.

Without naming it, Clinton praised President Bush’s 2007 Iraq surge, but charged that afterwards the Iraqis “were betrayed and forgotten”.

Following her remarks, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria asked her if she thought Obama had underestimated the threat of ISIS.

“I think he has a real good shot in the primary”, Tyrrell said. She would “roll up her sleeves-not only lay down the policy, but be involved with implementing it on the high levels that would be required”, Galston said.

Clinton’s call came as the House passed a measure Thursday aimed at restricting the flow of refugees allowed in from Syria and Iraq.

“Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims, slamming the door on every single Syrian refugee – that is just not who we are”, she said. “Congress needs to make sure the necessary resources are provided for comprehensive background checks, drawing on the best intelligence we can get”. It was also behind last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris.