Hillary Clinton’s rope-a-dope approach to Obama's trade agenda highlights her vulnerability [View all]

[cali]

President Obama, so often cool and cautious in his language, gave a full-throated roar on trade last week, saying that Sen. Elizabeth Warren was " absolutely wrong " in her criticism of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and that "her arguments don't stand the test of fact and scrutiny ."

I think Obama is right about the TPP, but there's a larger point here about leadership. Governing is a contact sport.

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Which raises a question: What does Hillary Clinton believe about the Trans-Pacific Partnership or the Iran nuclear deal? You would assume that she's supportive because she helped get both agreements started. But she has been a study in reticence — a trimmer checking the political winds, rather than a leader.

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Clinton is still running, but she could take a political lesson from Obama. She needs to be a fighter. Avoiding the issues will only reinforce the sense that she is a hollow candidate. She should be taking credit for the good provisions in the TPP, not hedging her bets. She may be ready to run, but is she ready to lead?

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clintons-rope-a-dope-approach-to-obamas-trade-agenda-highlights-her-vulnerability-2015-5#ixzz3aEPKGSC8