Now this is interesting.
Apparently the Obama team is underwhelmed by their current crop of candidates for Secretary of State. Those candidates are New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (who was once Secretary of Energy, U.S. Ambassador to the the UN, and an diplomatic envoy to North Korea, Iraq and Cuba), Senator John Kerry, and diplomat Richard Holbrooke (who was also a former US Ambassador to the UN and an Assistant Secretary of State involved in the Dayton Accords). All three would be capable Secretaries of State, but I think they all lack something. Maybe it is star power, I dunno. I am similarily underwhelmed, for no specific reason whatsoever.
So this little rumor about Hillary Clinton flying out to Chicago yesterday amid reports that she is now under consideration for Secretary of State is very interesting on several levels. First, Hillary Clinton is tough. The Secretary of State travels the world negotiating with and staring down friends and foes alike. I imagine Hillary would be quite good at that.
Second, I do believe that Vice President Joe Biden has the chance to drown out any advice from a lesser Secretary of State, like a Holbrooke, Richardson or Kerry. Clinton is an equal to Biden in many ways, if not superior.
Third, the selection of Hillary will lend to the “team of rivals” narrative that the press loves, but most importantly…
Fourth, Hillary Clinton is indeed a rival to Obama. There was also talk yesterday that the Clinton Machine will wait one year and then beat the press drums about Obama’s failed Presidency. If you get Hillary to be invested in the Obama Administration, then you remove that threat.
Yes, I like the idea of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. And Hillary should too. She has outgrown her Senate seat, but in reality it is all she has left. She really can’t run for Governor of New York (David Patterson is running for reelection in 2010) and she will probably be too old to run for President in 2016 (she will be 68 then), so being a Secretary of State will probably be the crowning achievement of her career. Plus, she can’t get away from Bill.
I’m mixed.
I wish she were a bit more results oriented and less of a “politics is a zero sum game” maniac.
I mean if she were joining because the country needed a great Sewc of State – Awesome. If she is joining because it is a “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” kind of deal, I’m not thrilled.
By 2016, when she’s 68, she stands a 50-50 chance of being rid of Bill, who is a not-very-fit heart patient. And 68 for a woman is not the same as 68 for a man, since they have a considerably higher life expectancy. She could still have a shot.
There was also talk yesterday that the Clinton Machine will wait one year and then beat the press drums about Obama’s failed Presidency. If you get Hillary to be invested in the Obama Administration, then you remove that threat.
I like that plan. That is how Bush neutered Ridge and Whitman.
Apparently the Obama team is underwhelmed by their current crop of candidates for Secretary of State.
I am available. Markell blew his chance to contact me, so I am willing to fill this apparent void.
“Apparently the Obama team is underwhelmed by their current crop of candidates for Secretary of State.”
Wow. I couldn’t agree more! Apparently Obama CAN unite the country. Hooray!
I think that would be a good move for Hillary Clinton. The Clintons are still popular around the world and she is very capable. It’s a yes from me.
Or then again, depending on who did the leaking, this could just be an effort by the Clintons to kneecap Bill Richardson and John Kerry as payback. That’s Al Giordano’s hypothesis.
Secretary of State is an odd choice for her particular skill set.
I think Hillary has a golden opportunity to be the next Ted Kennedy – Lioness of the Senate, if you will. She could have a brilliant career and excersize substantial power in transforming policy for years. It would be the fulfillment of everything she has always claimed to be about for the country.
As far as Secretary of State, I am all for John Kerry. The guy is brilliant, speaks six languages, and is well respected in Europe and elsewhere. He is long-winded and diplomatic in the extreme – a natural for the job.
Yes, Bobby I agree that the statement was a little weird. Why would Obama trash Kerry and Richardson in public like that? Obama’s team has been extremely disciplined and leak-proof up until now.
Why must a Secretary of State have “star power?” Now, I absolutely support the idea of Hillary Rodham Clinton being nominated for Secretary of State: it gets her out of the Senate! 🙂
Seriously, if y’all think Richard Holbrooke or Bill Richardson don’t quite make the grade, then no one does.
You have to ask the question: what role do you envision for the Secretary of State? Is he to be an administrator, who runs the department, or is he to be a foreign policy leader, a shuttle-diplonacy type? If it’s the former, Senatrix Clinton has no demonstrated executive leadership abilities at all; the only executive job she ever held — health care tsaritsa — she fouled up big time.
And if it’s the latter job description, I have my doubts she’d do particularly well there, either. Bill Richardson is probably your best choice for both roles — and Hillary Clinton your worst. And so, I hope that Mr Obama nominates Mrs Clinton for the position, to help make his presidency a failure. 🙂
As much as I think Hillary would be a poor choice, it would be amusing to see Richardson get bitch slapped for boning the Clintons.
That’s Senator Clinton dummy.
“That’s Senator Clinton dummy.”
Senator Clinton dummy! You should be more respectful to her, too.
Come on, asshat, don’t you think Richardson had a position like this in mind when he jumped ship and betrayed his benefactors?
Leaks about the Clintons inevitably come from Clintonistas angling for leverage. I don’t buy it.
Personally, if we are really talking about Hillary leaving her level of prominence in the Senate to take a position in the Obama Administration, I like Attorney General. She could take on the roll of dismantling the personal invasions of Ashcroft, Rove and Chaney with a flare that few, other than Biden, could.
Secondly, I think Biden wanted some guarantee from Obama that he could remain at some level prominence in Foreign Affair if he were to accept the Vice-Presidency. In that case, I think Joe would want someone of lesser profile like a top administrator from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
I’m with X at this point. And you know whet? This soap opera BS is exactly what I don’t like about Clinton.
Jason: As aviatrix is the feminine of aviator, so senatrix would be the feminine of senator. 🙂