At Dem debate, Hillary Clinton distances herself from Obama on ISIS: 'It cannot be contained, it must be defeated'

Hillary Clinton comments on ISIS at the second Democratic debate.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

published 15 November 2015

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton went after ISIS in what appeared to be carefully chosen words at the Democratic debate on Saturday night, insisting that the terrorist group "cannot be contained, it must be defeated." The former secretary of state's statement seemed to be a subtle swing at her old boss: The president had said Friday morning on ABC that he believed ISIS wasn't gaining strength, and that the U.S.'s goal has been "first to contain, and we have contained them."

Only hours after the president's comments, more than 100 people were killed in highly coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox