Sitting on the fence?

US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton remains the front runner in the race for the White House 2016 elections; her initial campaign pitch was low key, risking slowing her lead.

Instead of offering a “fiery” speech at the start of her election campaign, nearly two weeks ago, to “fire up” her supporters, Clinton chose to tone down her words to announce her candidacy.

The elections are still more than 17 months away and many things can happen between now and then, but Clinton must remember that oratory is what helps candidates reach the top of the line and make a difference.

Many pundits attributed Barack Obama’s success in his 2008 election bid to his masterful oratory that inspired his audience and won its support.

Nothing of the sort could be seen in Clinton’s campaign so far.

It might be difficult for a 67-year-old candidate to sustain a “fiery” speech style from now till election day. But on occasion, she needs to make inspirational and moving speeches on national and international issues.

Her Republican competitors have been busy trying to distract Clinton by bringing up to side issues, like the Clinton Foundation that her husband, former president Bill Clinton, runs or the tragic attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012, which led to the killing of the US ambassador and three staff officials, and therefore away from major national and international issues facing her country.

Clinton may wish to move from marginal to consequential matters, not falling into the trap set for her by her opponents, purposely staying away from the tactics of her Republican candidates that aim to harm her election campaign.

There are many pressing national and international issues awaiting genuine debate among the candidates for the White House.

Topping the list of national issues could be still the economy, the immigration policy dictated by an executive order by Obama, the controversial US medical care system, racial tensions and the ever-changing demography.

Internationally, the specter of a new Cold War, the war in Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the spread of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world are some issues that candidates to the US presidency could pronounce themselves on.

The world and their fellow Americans await word on all these from those hoping to one day sit in the Oval Office.