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ByCatherineLuceyand Steve Peoples The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. Hillary Clinton blasted Donald Trump Thursday for his condemnation of Ameri- can military generals and his praise for Russian Pres- ident Vladimir Putin, say- ing her Republican oppo- nent had "failed" at prov- ing he can be commander in chief. "Every Republican hold- ing or seeking office in this country should be asked if they agree with Donald Trump about these state- ments," Clinton said in a news conference the morn- ing after both candidates appeared at a national se- curity forum. Trump did not directly respond to Clinton's cri- tique Thursday. At a speech in Cleveland, he tagged his Democratic opponent with a new nickname — "trig- ger-happy Hillary" and re- peated his incorrect claim that he opposed the war in Iraq "from the beginning." Still, the government's most senior Republican stressed Thursday that he does not share Trump's complimentary view of Pu- tin. Speaking to reporters, House Speaker Paul Ryan called Putin "an aggressor that does not share our in- terests." The discussion followed a Wednesday night national security forum. Clinton was repeatedly challenged on her controversial email use at the State Department and her vote as a senator for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She also fleshed out sev- eral national security pri- orities if she is elected, in- cluding trying to take out the leader of the Islamic State and vowing to defeat the extremist group with- out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq or Syria. Trump did little to coun- ter criticism that he lacks detailed policy proposals, particularly regarding the Islamic State group. He both insisted he has a pri- vate blueprint for defeat- ing the extremist group and that he would demand a plan from military lead- ers within 30 days of tak- ing office. But he was also harshly critical of the military, say- ing America's generals have been "reduced to rubble" under Obama. Asked to square his request for mili- tary options with that crit- icism, Trump said simply: "They'll probably be differ- ent generals." The Republican also re- newed his praise for Putin and his disdain for Presi- dent Barack Obama, say- ing that the Russian en- joyed an 82 percent ap- proval rating and arguing that "it's a very different system and I don't happen to like the system, but cer- tainly, in that system, he's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader." Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, Clin- ton suggested she agreed with Democrats who say she is being held to a differ- ent standard in the White House race. "I find it frustrating," she said. "But it's part of the landscape we live in." With just two months un- til Election Day, national se- curity has emerged as a cen- terpiece issue in the White House race. Both candi- dates believe they have the upper hand, with Clinton contrasting her experience with Trump's unpredict- ability and the Republican arguing that Americans worried about their safety will be left with more of the same if they elect Obama's former secretary of state. Clinton's argument that Trump is ill-prepared to be commander in chief has been bolstered by a flood of Republican national secu- rity experts who are back- ing the Democratic nom- inee instead of their own party's pick. At a rally in North Car- olina Thursday afternoon, Clinton said those endorse- ments have only grown since the forum, arguing that the event was a "test and he failed it." Some of those Republi- cans will join Clinton Fri- day for what she dubbed a "working session" on the threat of terrorism. Those attending include Michael Chertoff, who served as Homeland Security sec- retary under President George W. Bush. The national security debate came as Libertar- ian presidential candidate Gary Johnson drew atten- tion for a foreign policy flub. He was asked Wednesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" what he would do as presi- dent about Aleppo, the Syr- ian city at the center of the refugee crisis, Johnson re- plied, "And what is Aleppo?" Wednesday's forum served as a preview of sorts for Clinton and Trump's highly anticipated debates. Clinton reiterated that she had made mistakes in relying on a personal email account and private server as secretary of state and in voting for the 2003 inva- sion of Iraq as a senator. But she defended her sup- port for U.S. military inter- vention to help oust a dic- tator in Libya, despite the chaotic aftermath. Trump stood by a previ- ous comment that appeared to blame military sexual as- saults on men and women serving together, but added he would not seek to remove women from the military. And for the first time, he opened the door to granting legal status to people living in the U.S. illegally who join the military. PRESIDENTIAL RACE Clinton blasts Trump's comments on military, Putin ANDREWHARNIK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Hillary Clinton greets a member of the audience as she arrives to speaks at a rally at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday. By Josh Lederman and Kathleen Hennessey The Associated Press VIENTIANE, LAOS Presi- dent Barack Obama said Thursday that Republican Donald Trump proves he isn't qualified to be presi- dent "every time he speaks," adding that he is confident Americans will ultimately reject the brash billionaire on Election Day. Obama, closing out his fi- nal presidential trip to Asia, said his meetings with for- eign leaders during the trip had illustrated that govern- ing is "serious business" re- quiring knowledge, prep- aration and thought-out policies that can actually be implemented. He urged Americans not to allow the "outrageous behavior" seen amid the campaign-season din to become the new nor- mal. "The most important thing for the public and the press is to just listen to what he says and follow up and ask questions to what appear to be either con- tradictory or uninformed or outright whacky ideas," Obama said. Throughout the cam- paign, Obama has repeat- edly denounced Trump and deemed him "unfit" to serve as commander in chief, ar- guing that he's pulling the Republican Party in a dan- gerous and unprecedented direction. Obama has en- dorsed Hillary Clinton and has said he plans to cam- paign full-force for the Democrat ahead of the No- vember election. Obama's remarks came at the end of a grueling nine-day trip that took him to Laos and China follow- ing U.S. stops in Nevada, Hawaii and Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. It's the last of 10 trips Obama paid as president to Asia, where Obama lived as a young- ster with his mother in In- donesia. "When I think back to the time I spent here as a boy, I can't help but be struck by the extraordinary progress that's been made by the re- gion in the decades since, even if there's still a lot of work to be done," Obama said. At the top of the list of unfinished business is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation free trade deal Obama helped broker. That deal awaits ratification in the U.S. Congress, where there is opposition from both parties. But Obama said he planned to do every- thing possible to persuade lawmakers to approve it this year. With his presidency near- ing an end, Obama's agenda has narrowed to a few key goals he hopes to complete before his successor takes over. Asked to acknowledge he wouldn't be able to ful- fill his campaign promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, Obama pushed back. "I am not ready to con- cede," Obama said, adding that his administration was making progress in reduc- ing the prison's population. He bristled at the sug- gestion he'd been slighted in Asia or that leaders in the region were rejecting his leadership — a criticism leveled by Trump, who said he'd have picked up and left had he been treated the way Obama was in Asia. The start of the trip was overshadowed by tense mo- ments on the tarmac when Chinese officials clashed with White House aides and appeared to have failed to secure a staircase for Obama's plane — moments that exploded on social me- dia. The awkwardness con- tinued days later when Phil- ippine President Rodrigo Duterte called Obama a "son of a bitch" and warned him not to challenge him in their planned meeting in Laos, leading Obama to call it off. The two did end up shak- ing hands during a brief in- teraction on the summit's sidelines. Obama said he'd told Duterte that their aides should confer on how to move forward, adding that the spat would have no ef- fect on the close coopera- tion between the longtime treaty allies. "I don't take these com- ments personally, because it seems as if this is a phrase he's used repeatedly, di- rected at the pope and oth- ers," Obama said of the slur. "I think it seems to be just a, you know, a habit, a way of speaking for him." As an example of prog- ress on his trip, Obama pointed to discussions with Southeast Asian leaders about disputes over China's territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. In a con- cluding joint statement, the leaders were expected to is- sue a mild rebuke to China without referencing it by name or mentioning a re- cent international arbitra- tion ruling against Beijing. "I realize this raises ten- sions," Obama said earlier Thursday about the ruling. "But I also look forward to discussing how we can con- structively move forward together to lower tensions and promote diplomacy and regional stability." On his last day in Asia, Obama met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose help Obama is seeking to galvanize further action on climate change, especially among develop- ing countries. The White House said Obama had affirmed his support for India's partici- pation in the Nuclear Sup- pliers Group, a consortium aimed at preventing civilian nuclear technology from di- verted for military use. Pak- istan, India's longtime ad- versary, opposes India's membership in the group. ASEAN SUMMIT Closing out Asia trip, Obama says Americans will reject Trump's 'wacky' ideas CAROLYN KASTER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, le , and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands as they participate in a bilateral meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit. LEGALNOTICE Every 13 Weeks Automatic charge of $ 33 68 to your Debit or Credit Card! 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