White House hopeful Hillary Clinton called for global unity
to crush the Islamic State group, as the carnage in Paris took center stage at
Saturday’s Democratic presidential debate.
Clinton, liberal US Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley
united in calling for the destruction of the militants accused of massacring at least
129 people in the French capital.
Clinton was asked whether she agreed with Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco
Rubio (Fla.) that the Paris attacks show that the United States is in a war with radical
Islam, she responded: “I don’t think we’re at war with Islam. I don’t think we’re at war
with all Muslims, we are at war with violent extremism. We are at war with people who
use their religion for purposes of power and oppression.”
Clinton asserted that the United States should not play the leading role in combating
threats from Islamist militants.
“we will support those who take the fight to ISIS,” she said, using an acronym for the
Islamic State. “But this cannot be an American fight, although American leadership is
essential.”
“It cannot be contained, it must be defeated,” Clinton said of the group which has
overrun swathes of Syria and Iraq.
With 79 days before the first state-wide vote in Iowa, frontrunner Clinton has
reinforced her status as the woman to beat in the race.
Her poll numbers, which suffered a hit between spring and late summer when voters
questioned her handling of an email scandal, have risen steadily since mid September, to
more than 54 percent today according to a RealClearPolitics average.