Clinton’s Legacy at State Still Undefined

Stephen Sestanovich: “The frenzy surrounding the June 10 release of Hillary Clinton’s State Department memoir is at full tilt. Both The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post have published chin-pullers on what sort of secretary of state she was. (And this wasn’t just punditry: The Journal’s reporters described a juicy-sounding 2012 Clinton memo to President Barack Obama on the collapse of his “reset” policy toward Russia.) There is, of course, going to be more of this–and if Madam Secretary runs for president, it will never let up.”

“Still, Mrs. Clinton’s record as America’s chief diplomat will not really come into focus until we know how she positions herself for the 2016 campaign. Is she going to run as the candidate who would revive American foreign-policy activism–distancing herself from Mr. Obama’s approach–or would she accept the president’s case for a downsized international role? Mrs. Clinton’s paper trail at State allows her to do either.”