Hillary Clinton admits she has been dodging questions about the Keystone XL pipeline as she continues on the paid speaking circuit through Canada.
"I’ve said before in Canada, as I’ve traveled around your country, avoiding answering questions about the Keystone pipeline," Clinton said.
Clinton’s excuse for not giving her opinion about the Keystone XL is that her previous role of Secretary of State prevents her from being allowed to comment. It was the second time Wednesday she had to dodge the issue.
Earlier in the day, speaking to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which happens to be under federal investigation, Clinton said, "I really can’t, having been part of the process. I really can’t inject myself into it."
Clinton does not want to wade into the waters of a politically hot issue for the exact same reason President Obama has longsidestepped the issue. The Keystone XL project places Democrats in the crosshairs of their base.
If they reject the pipeline, they will have to explain to Americans why they said no to a jobs-ready project that would bring benefits to America’s economy. If they were to approve of the pipeline, then a major faction of their base--environmentalists--would go against them. The fact that the Keystone pipeline is a net positive for the environment does not matter.
Even Hillary’s husband lobbied her to sign off on the pipeline project that is said to add thousands of jobs, bring in revenue, and prioritize domestic energy.
Bill Clinton said, "We should embrace" the Keystone pipeline when Hillary Clinton was still Secretary of State.