Clinton's words show naivete

Hillary Clinton has a problem.

But this time the problem is not her husband, it's her mouth.

The would-be presidential candidate told a Georgetown University audience recently that America should show respect for our enemies and "empathize with their perspective and point of view."

You would have thought the former Secretary of State had heard of ISIS or Boco Haram or the Islamic terrorists beheading children and any "infidel" who fails to follow their teachings.

If your enemies' stated position is the total destruction of the American way of life, who in their right mind would have you empathize with their position?

Hillary is no Bill, and I doubt seriously she actually believes that malarky. But in her run-up for a presidential bid, she is clearly playing to the die-hard doves in her party who believe you can sit down with your enemy and work things out.

Just as a historical footnote, then-candidate Barack Obama back in 2007 talked about "direct diplomacy" with our enemies and you see just how that has worked.

You don't empathize with your enemies, you destroy them.

Once discussion and diplomacy and cooperation and compromise fail with an enemy, you either fight or surrender.

Empathy is a weird word to use in discussions with brutal barbarians whose singular goal is to eliminate the freedoms that America represents.

Hillary is famous for verbal flubs when she goes off-script. And, by the way, so is her former boss.

But the problem is that Hillary's speech in Georgetown was not off-the-cuff. Those remarks and their implications were written in advance and spoken with genuine conviction.

If those are her true beliefs, she just dug a hole that will take Bill's talents to undo.

The ISIS forces recently beheaded yet another victim. What awkward timing to start a discussion on empathizing with our enemy.

I had always assumed that in the heat of the upcoming presidential sweepstake's season that Hillary's "what difference does it make" snafu would take center stage. I have now amended that assumption with the "empathize" remark, which will surely rear its ugly head.

Words matter regardless of the political persuasion: "No new taxes," "Mission accomplished," and "If you like your health care plan ..." Those words came back to haunt those who spoke them.

Hillary's words, too, will define her legacy as she moves forward. And like those other now-famous expressions, hers will come with a price.

Though the polls show otherwise, the reality is that we still hold our elected leaders to some level of esteem. We may disagree with them and rail loudly against their positions but they still hold a layer of respect for most of us.

But like everyone else, these leaders are -- like us -- prone to mistakes and missteps.

In Hillary's case, she is guilty of a twisted and naive lack of understanding when it comes to the reality of today's world.

That lack of appreciation concerning the serious nature of our enemies is excusable for some but not for a presidential candidate.

Michael Jensen is the publisher of the Sikeston Standard Democrat.