Hillary Clinton's Tight Rope Act

As President Obama continues to increase American presence in the war-torn Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has committed to silence. Faced with choosing between the administration she served and the strong anti-war faction of the Democratic party, the ever electioneering Mrs. Clinton has refused to voice an opinion on the matter.

During Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, numerous, fatal gaffes were the defining moments of the term: Ambassador Chris Stevens was left unprotected and was murdered in Benghazi; ISIS began its progression from poor radical group to the largest terrorist organization in history. Given the former First Lady’s record in the Middle East, her silence has come as no surprise.

Handling the difficult balance of defending her Secretary of State record, all while allaying the popular fear amongst the Democrat electorate that she is a war hawk, will undoubtedly make or break the Clinton candidacy. GOP candidates are already anticipating this issue will give them an advantage over Mrs. Clinton when debating national security.

“Democrats will have a huge problem with American voters who are concerned about how to destroy ISIS if they can’t differentiate themselves from President Obama’s lack of an ISIS strategy,” said Republican political strategist Ron Bonjean. Mrs. Clinton will have to accomplish this tough balance in order to succeed against the ultra-liberal, anti-war candidate Bernie Sanders in this upcoming Democratic primary season.