CINCINNATI — Portraying a vote for her as a patriotic act, Hillary Clinton made a vigorous appeal to Republican voters Wednesday, arguing that she would best uphold American values, care for the military and protect national security interests. At the American Legion’s annual convention in Cincinnati, the Democratic presidential nominee called the United States an “exceptional nation,” and accused Republican rival Donald Trump of thinking that approach is “insulting to the rest of the world.” Clinton, who has an edge in many state and national polls, has been aggressively courting Republicans and independents who won’t vote for Trump but are still discomfited by her campaign. The speech was touted as one that would emphasize “American exceptionalism,” an idea that the U.S., as an “exceptional” world citizen, has a moral obligation to advance democracy in the world rather than imposing it against another country’s will.
