Hillary’s Keystone Nolo Contendere She’ll Let You Know Where She Stands After She’s Elected.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillarys-keystone-nolo-contendere-1438300156
The Clintons rarely feel obliged to obey the normal rules, whether for email security, the Lincoln Bedroom, or even the expectation that potential Presidents will comment on the issues of the day so people know what they believe and how they would act in office. Try to parse Hillary Clinton’s blanket refusal to take a position on the Keystone XL pipeline, as if it is ridiculous for anyone to ask.
“If it’s undecided when I become President, I will answer your question,” Mrs. Clinton advised a voter on Tuesday in Nashua, New Hampshire. That seems likely given that the oil project that may one day connect Canada to the Gulf Coast has been waiting for a State Department permit since 2008, and President Obama—who vetoed a bipartisan approval bill in February—has extended regulatory review to infinity to appease the green lobby.
“I’m in a different position than any other candidate. I was there. I put this process together,” the former Secretary of State explained. “This is President Obama’s decision, and I am not going to second-guess him because I was in a position to set this in motion and I do not think that would be the right thing to do. So I want to wait and see what he and Secretary Kerry decide.”
Cornered by reporters after the event, Mrs. Clinton told them to read her lips: “I’ve been very clear. I will not express an opinion until they have made a decision.”
Mrs. Clinton’s excuses are amusing because her tenure at Foggy Bottom hasn’t prevented her from endorsing the Iran nuclear deal or otherwise remarking on world affairs. By her Keystone conflict-of-interest standard, she shouldn’t talk “women’s issues” either because of the bias of her gender.
The larger problem is that State has already conducted the most exhaustive environmental studies in U.S. history and their findings generally support building the pipeline. Keystone is now a yes-or-no political decision that pits an activist fringe that opposes all forms of carbon energy against jobs, prosperity, energy security and America’s relationship with an ally.
So perhaps Mrs. Clinton’s anti-answer was the only triangulation within reach. Most normal people, not to mention her donors who aren’t Tom Steyer, think Keystone is in the national interest. Meanwhile, she hopes the green left will abide her silence because of her recent proposal to pave the U.S. in solar panels and because they suspect she silently agrees with them.
Then again, Donald Trump was asked the other day about ObamaCare, which he promised to “repeal and replace with something terrific.” It’s not a good look when Mr. Trump is more specific, responsive and forthcoming about his platform than you are.
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