Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton will outline her counterterrorism strategy Tuesday during a speech in Minneapolis, looking to highlight her foreign policy expertise and draw a contrast with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s top rival who rarely speaks of foreign policy while on the stump.
The former secretary of state will detail her plan to confront the threat of domestic radicalization and foreign-inspired terror attacks within the U.S., her campaign said in a release. She will be delivering the speech at the University of Minnesota.
Mrs. Clinton is expected to “propose a multifaceted plan that would address the Islamic State’s recruiting methods and to call for better monitoring and vetting of people in the United States who could become radicalized,” according to The New York Times.
After the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, the discussion on the campaign trail — for both Democrats and Republicans — has shifted to national security and who’s best suited to lead the country in a time of crisis.
Mrs. Clinton can use the issue to highlight her resume and draw a contrast with Mr. Sanders, Vermont independent, who has so far declined to elaborate on how he would deal with the Islamic State if elected president.
That strategy is not without risks, however. Mrs. Clinton needs to win over those who disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the Islamic State terrorist group, but could alienate factions of her party by sounding too hawkish.
Mr. Obama has seen his poll numbers sink to their lowest level in more than a year as Americans increasingly disapprove of his handling of terrorism and national security.
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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