Hillary Clinton Should Have Answered The Question

Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I am a die-hard supporter of Hillary Clinton. I made a promise to some people important to me that I would support her if she ran in 2016, and nothing that has happened since then has made me think I should break that promise. I think she's a good progressive (not perfect but good), and I think she'd make a very good president.

But I also think she made a serious mistake in a New Hampshire town meeting a few days ago. She was asked a question, and instead of answering it, she side-stepped it.

I understand the question was posed by a Republican, and was probably designed to trip her up. That doesn't matter. It was a issue-oriented question, and she should have answered it without any quibbling.

A man asked her:

"As president, would you sign a bill, yes or no please, in favor of allowing the Keystone XL pipeline?"

And she said:

"I am not going to second guess (President Barack Obama) because I was in a position to set this in motion. I want to wait and see what he and Secretary Kerry decide."

"If it is undecided when I become president, I will answer your question."

That is not a good answer. In fact, it's not an answer at all. It was not an unfair question. It was a question on an issue that is important to many Democrats. If she wasn't running for president, her statement might have been appropriate, but she is running for president -- and voters deserved to hear what she would decide on the matter. It may not be an issue by the time she takes office (as I hope), but her answer could let voters know how she might decide on something similar as president.

We are not Republicans, who love to vote for candidates who lie, quibble, or try to placate with bumper sticker slogans. We are Democrats -- and we expect an honest answer to any issue-oriented question. We expect our candidates to tell us the truth (even if it's a truth we won't like very much).

This is not a deal-breaker for me. I am still solidly in Hillary's camp. But I think she made a serious mistake by not answering the question -- and I hope she doesn't make this a habit.

(The caricature of Hillary Clinton above is by DonkeyHotey.)