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Hillary Clinton to Colgate: we 'need to roll up our sleeves together'

Courtesy Andy Daddio
/
Colgate University
Hillary Clinton gave a lecture at Colgate University where she told students to prepare themselves to lead in the ways the 21st century demands.

There were no veiled questions of her political aspirations, and thus Hillary Clinton made no mention of whether she'll run for office again in a lecture at Colgate University in Hamilton Friday evening.

It was the former secretary of state and U.S. senator's second speech in central New York in three weeks. She spoke at Hamilton College on Oct. 4. It's been part of a series of lectures Clinton has been giving, on college campuses and to private functions.

They've allowed Clinton to speak about both her previous time in office and current issues facing politicians without the scrutiny of being a candidate herself.

About 5,000 people filled the Sanford Field House at Colgate. There was no heckler this time, like at her speech at the University of Buffalo Wednesday. There were also no questions about her aspirations or what makes a good president, as she got at Hamilton and UB.

Instead, Colgate University President Jeffrey Herbst asked questions largely about foreign policy, touching on Afghanistan, Iran and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also asked about spying and cyber hacking.

The country needs to have a "comprehensive discussion" about finding the line of appropriate domestic surveillance, Clinton said, and not go over it. She said that a cyber attack would have a "paralytic" impact, hitting on all aspects of our lives.

In her prepared remarks, Clinton hit on a few of the same notes she has in previous speeches in upstate New York: politicians choosing "scorched earth politics over common ground" and operating in an "evidence-free zone."

“I wish we would get back to problem solving," she said. "Which we’re better at than anyone in the world.”

Clinton talked heavily about foreign affairs and her time as secretary of state.

"The reservoir of good will we built up in the 20th century cannot and will not last forever," she said.

She also touched on youth and young adults, saying we have to get back into the future business.

"If we put the well-being of children and young people at top of the priority list, we’ll get ourselves back on the right track."

She told the college campus crowd they need to "role up our sleeves together” and prepare for the next great adventure of being an American in the 21st century.