Clinton says she, not Trump, is the one to defeat IS group
"Turning our back on our alliances, or turning our alliance into a protection racket would reverse decades of bipartisan American leadership and send a dangerous signal to friend and foe alike," she said, referencing a call by Trump to lessen U.S. involvement in NATO.
"When Republican candidates like Ted Cruz call for treating American Muslims like criminals and for racially profiling predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, it's wrong, it's counterproductive, it's dangerous," Clinton said.
Political strategists in both parties admit to being slightly baffled by the coming general election, acknowledging they have few clear expectations for a match-up between candidates with such high negative ratings and vastly different personal styles.
Democrats say those points, coupled with his controversial statements about women, Latinos and Muslims, will help their party woo moderate independents and even Republican voters — and of-set potential losses among the white, working class men attracted to Trump's candidacy.
The United States, she said, must intensify the air campaign against Islamic militants, support local Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground, take on extremism online and "harden defenses" at home.
Referencing the conflict between the FBI and Apple over an encrypted iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers, Clinton said the technology community and government must find ways to work together, calling for an "intelligence surge" in the United States and with allies.