Setting the stage for Presidential run

Setting stage for Presidential run

New poll shows 66 percent of Democrats would vote for Hillary Clinton in a Presidential primary

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," November 22, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

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INGRAHAM: In "THE FACTOR" "Follow-Up" segment tonight, Hillary Clinton seems to be setting the stage for a presidential run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: As I talk to people around the world, it was a sense like, you know, if you guys can't get your act together, we need to de-Americanize the world, which was a phrase used by a high-ranking Chinese official. That is not good news for us. That is a very unfortunate conclusion. So we have to pull ourselves together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

INGRAHAM: Democrats seem to be in agreement that the former secretary of state is their best bet for a 2016 victory. And a recent NBC News poll shows 66 percent of them would vote for her in a presidential primary. Just 14 percent backing another candidate. So when will she officially throw her hat in the ring? With me now, Richard Goodstein, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. Boy, I mean time flies. And five years, we're back here again and Hillary Clinton is up there talking about the Chinese statement. That look - they say maybe it's time to de-Americanize the world. And I thought to myself when I heard that, Richard, Gosh, it's too bad she was not in a position of power and foreign policy to have changed that. Oh, wait, she was. She was secretary of state. So, does she have any role in this?

RICHARD GOOD, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Look, I mean any way you cut it, she is incredibly well qualified, having been first lady seeing this era of peace and prosperity close in personal, and she had a role in that. She was a senator who was a workhorse and not a show horse. Worked for the last Senate across the aisle. And as secretary of state, look, she traveled widely, as you know. And the fact of the matter is, take Russia. People - I've heard you make fun of the recent -- were it not for her position with Russia, we wouldn't be taking the chemical weapons out of Syria. We wouldn't have Gadhafi out of Libya, I suspect. I don't think we'd be in a position to possibly turn the clock back on developing nuclear weapons in Iran. So, actually think she has got a lot to be .

INGRAHAM: So, Bret Hume said recently that the idea of Mrs. Clinton is wonderful as it was in 2008, but the reality of Mrs. Clinton is weaker. It is a weaker record to stand on, especially as secretary of state. When you look at the Arab Spring, when you look at really our relationship with Russia, Russia's closer to China than Russia was five years ago. China's stronger, that's for sure. China feels like it can with impunity say it's time to de-Americanize the world. That's after five years of Ms. Clinton who I grant you was an amazing global traveler, and is an incredible speaker. I mean she captivates audience - I completely grant you that. And she's obviously really smart. But the idea that there's been a record of achievement where America has gained standing in the world, America's stronger than it was five years ago on the world stage, every poll, Pew poll Pew survey, most countries have a lower opinion of the United States five years into this.

GOOD: Well, ask any businessman who has a U.S.-based company that's global. Would they rather be doing business around the world today or the day that George Bush left office?

(CROSSTALK)

GOOD: No, I don't think that's a close call. Well, but even before that, the fact of the matter is I think the U.S. kind of assessment in the world was degraded before President Obama came in, before Hillary Clinton became secretary of state.

INGRAHAM: But it's gone down since 2008. Britain has a lower opinion of us, France has a lower opinion of us.

GOOD: Well .

INGRAHAM: Germany has a lower opinion of us.

GOOD: Well, talk about a bar - look, everybody thought in these glorified terms when Barack Obama came in, in many circles .

INGRAHAM: Right.

GOOD: Domestically and internationally, he was going to be the savior. He's a human. But we don't have - we have the START Treaty that we wouldn't have had but for Hillary Clinton. We had other new nuclear weapons - yes, we do. So, the fact of the matter is, I think her record is rather formidable as secretary of state in addition to what she .

INGRAHAM: Yeah, well, of course, I didn't mention the little problem of not taking really any responsibility in a meaningful way for what happened to four brave Americans the night of September 11th, 2012. That night and the failure of the administration, really, to let the sunshine in, for people who really understand what happened, I think that was a window into, whether it's management style or the urge to cover up, I don't know what it is. I think that sticks in a craw of a lot of people. Maybe not Democrats, maybe they just blow it off. It doesn't matter to them. I think her comment, what difference does it make, I think that comment's going to live on.

GOOD: Which was totally about the politics. It wasn't indifference to those people. Look, Laura, the fact of the matter is, this reminds me of Republicans making a lot of to-do about you didn't build that. They hold that at the convention, they thought this was the game changer. The rest of the public got it.

INGRAHAM: I think that's one issue. I think it's an important issue.

GOOD: No, the rest of the public - they get it on Benghazi. We've had 18 hearings.

INGRAHAM: Where was she the night of September 11th, 2012? Do you know?

GOOD: We've had 18 hearings. Let me ask you something. She was sitting .

INGRAHAM: Why wouldn't she be interviewed by the accountability review board? If Mrs. Clinton is completely in the clear and was doing - was at the helm that night and directing the operations and getting these counterterrorism taskforce together, why wouldn't she be interviewed by the accountability review board?

GOOD: And the answer to that is she was under oath before Republican senators at that committee and if they had a real serious question they wanted to put before her, they could have and they didn't because they knew there wasn't anything .

INGRAHAM: That was the independent assessment, though, right? That was really the investigative body that was set in working with Congress and all that. She wouldn't be interviewed.

GOOD: Well, in view of the whole public she was at the Senate hearing. If they really had something on her, as your friend, I say give it up, I know, that that's not going to happen, but if you have a beef with her, bring it on. That's not it. That's not it.

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