Clinton criticizes ‘failed’ effort to train Syrian rebels

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, a former secretary of state, said on Sunday that U.S. efforts to train and equip Syrian rebels have failed and that many of the threats she foresaw from the Syrian conflict have come to pass.

“We’re looking at a failed policy,” she said of a rebel training program that has yielded only a handful of trained soldiers after about $500 million have been spent.

Clinton, appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” said that the Obama administration’s announcement that it will take in 10,000 Syrian refugees is “a good start” but that the United States should increase the number to 65,000 because of the scale of the refugee crisis after nearly five years of conflict.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“The United States has do more,” Clinton said in her first appearance on a Sunday public affairs television show in four years.

She renewed her call for the United Nations to host a pledging conference during this month’s General Assembly session at which nations could commit to taking in more refugees or paying into a fund to help them.

She called President Barack Obama’s program to train some Syrian rebels a washout and implied that it came far too late to be effective. She had recommended training and equipping the irregular rebel forces while they were coalescing in 2011 and 2012 to fight the dictatorship of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“I did recommend at the beginning of this conflict that we do more to help train those who were in the forefront,” Clinton said. “That was not the decision that was taken at that time. A lot of what I worried about has happened,” including a power vacuum that has allowed the rise of Islamic State militants, Clinton said.

Obama, who was elected on a pledge to end the Iraq war and keep the United States out of similar Mideast morasses, resisted direct U.S. involvement in the Syrian conflict, which arose from the Arab Spring uprisings and quickly became a grinding civil war. Clinton outlined the policy debate in her 2014 State Department memoir “Hard Choices,” saying she accepted the outcome.

After Clinton left office, the Obama administration began an air campaign inside Syria and inaugurated a small rebel training program. Both efforts are aimed at the Islamic State militant group, not at Assad. The administration position is that Assad has lost his legitimacy to govern but that the United States will take no direct action to oust him.

“Where we are today is not where we were, and where we are today is – we have a failed program,” Clinton said.

In a wide-ranging interview, she also deemed Republican front-runner Donald Trump irresponsible for stirring up what she called some of the worst impulses in American politics.

“He is fueling a level of paranoia and prejudice against all kinds of people,” Clinton said.

She said she is not ready to go on the attack against her stronger-than-expected rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and called herself a rightful embodiment of the national mood favoring nontraditional candidates.

“I cannot imagine anyone being more of an outsider than the first woman president,” Clinton said.

Asked to sum herself up in three words, Clinton said she could not do so. Nonetheless, she had a game response, one that seemed to acknowledge the frequent criticism that she appears inauthentic or programmed.

“Look, I am a real person, with all the pluses and minuses that go along with being that,” she said.

Clinton said little new about her use of a privately owned email system when she was secretary of state. Questions about the arrangement have clouded Clinton’s campaign, cutting deeply into her once-formidable lead over other Democrats and sullying her record as secretary of state in the minds of some voters.

“I’ve said that I didn’t make the best choice,” Clinton said, adding that although the arrangement was “fully above board,” it was a “mistake.”

“I’m sorry that I made a choice that has raised all of these questions, because I don’t like reading, you know, (that) people have questions about what I did and how I did it,” Clinton said. “I’m proud of the work we did at the State Department.”

As to whether the decision to set up the system outside regular State Department operations suggests that Clinton has no one around her to steer her away from bad ideas, she laughed.

“I have too many, actually,” Clinton said, referring to advisers.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

The age of bridge 503 that spans Swamp Creek can be seen in its timber supports and metal pipes on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington. The bridge is set to be replaced by the county in 2025. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County report: 10 bridges set for repairs, replacement

An annual report the county released May 22 details the condition of local bridges and future maintenance they may require.

The Edmonds City Council gathers to discuss annexing into South County Fire on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Community group presents vision for Edmonds’ fiscal future

Members from Keep Edmonds Vibrant suggested the council focus on revenue generation and a levy lid lift to address its budget crisis.

Marysville is planning a new indoor sports facility, 350 apartments and a sizable hotel east of Ebey Waterfront Park. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New report shifts outlook of $25M Marysville sports complex

A report found a conceptual 100,000-square-foot sports complex may require public investment to pencil out.

x
Edmonds seeks applicants for planning board alternate

The member would attend and participate in meetings and vote when another member is absent. Applications close June 25.

People walk during low tide at Picnic Point Park on Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Beach cleanup planned for Picnic Point in Edmonds

Snohomish Marine Resources Committee and Washington State University Beach Watchers host volunteer event at Picnic Point.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Stanwood in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Stanwood man accused of crashing into 2 vehicles, injuring federal agents

Victor Vivanco-Reyes appeared in federal court Monday on two counts of assaulting a federal agent with a deadly weapon.

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.