President Barack Obama offered a measured assessment of Hillary Clinton, reminding guests at a fundraiser that she would be a different president, if elected in November.
“She’s not always the flashiest. She’s not always the person who’s going to give you the big stem-winder. But she is the person who’s going to do the work,” Obama said during a fundraiser for Clinton on Martha’s Vineyard.
Obama admitted that he supported Clinton because she was a Democrat, but that he also was impressed by her work ethic.
“It is absolutely critical that we have a capable, visionary, hardworking, diligent, smart, tenacious leader in the Oval Office,” he said. “And that’s Hillary Clinton. That’s who she is.”
Obama failed to mention any part of Clinton’s achievements as Secretary of State, but pointed out that she traveled around the world “at a breathless pace” while managing global conflicts.
“When I tell you that I’ve seen how she works not just with me, but with her staff and people below her in a way that is full of integrity and seriousness and good humor, it’s something that I’ve witnessed on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
Obama explained that it was impossible to know how someone would perform as president, until they were sitting behind the desk with billions of lives at stake.
“[I] will tell you that I have as good a guess when it comes to how Hillary will respond as I would of anybody’s, because I’ve seen her under really tough-pressure situations. And that’s what’s needed right now,” he said.