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Secretary of State Clinton?
Speculation is flying after Sen. Hillary Clinton met with President-elect Barack Obama Thursday in Chicago that Obama’s former opponent may be chosen as the next Secretary of State.
Say what?
While Clinton might lend gravitas to the cabinet and melt a frosty relationship with the president-elect, The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza writes, the appointment could look like the Clinton years, part II.
If Hillary Clinton is the Secretary of State, there will be some (many?) in the party who will complain that Obama promised something new but is in fact delivering just more of the same.
Slate blogger Emily Yoffe tries to imagine how the polarizing former Democratic presidential candidate would answer the Obama administration questionnaire for all potential appointees:
There are so many questions that might be troublesome, from No. 6, concerning “whether you or your spouse” ever received money from any foreign entities (See Bill’s amazing Kazakhstan adventure), to No. 8, asking for a description of the “most controversial matters you have ever been involved in,” to No. 12, “Please identify all speeches you have given” to my favorite, No. 13, in which the candidate is asked to describe any electronic communication they have ever sent that might be “a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect.”
Clinton certainly comes with a lot of baggage, though she enjoys broad support from the Democratic base.
My personal bet on the next Secretary of State? Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who chairs a subcommittee on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Maybe that’s just a notion, but with Joe Biden as vice president, there are fewer of Obama’s Senate buddies with experience in foreign relations. Others are discussing a bipartisan choice in Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican who opposes the war in Iraq.
Whoever Obama chooses, it will be the most important cabinet position he fills – America’s diplomatic face to the world.
back to top27 Comments to “Secretary of State Clinton?”
I heard a comedian joke last week that Bill is overjoyed to hear his wife may soon be busy for the next four years with extended out-of-the-country trips.
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Obama sure wants her as far away from him as possible too. What are ‘Liver Lips’ Obama and Wee Willy Clinton up to?
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Is that the fetid aroma of a Quid Pro Quo deal wafting thru the air?
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The person who gave it to you can take it away. Hillary has a safe seat in the Senate. As. Sec. State, she would serve at the pleasure of her biggest single adversary. But she might be dumb enough to do it. Suppose Oboma fires her in a couple of years? Does she get her seat back? Not a chance.
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The more things ‘change’, the more they remain the same.
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#3 Saqwgunner,
Naw what gives you that idea? Well, it might work for Liver lips but I’m not sure how that fits with Wee Willy.. No one wants to be hanging with a sexual predator except, Democrats Of course
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Reaching across intra-party lines actually would be change. Not to mention Obama is also considering Republicans, such as Hagel.
Dr. Tantillo, who has a marketing and branding blog, argued against the notion of a joint Obama-Clinton ticket back in May:
“Because of the length of this primary fight, brand identity and loyalty to brand have become central. What this means is that a kind of brand mutual exclusivity has set in. The Obama brand stands for something that the Hillary brand does not. And vice versa!”
Tantillo’s full post on Obama-Clinton joint ticket proposal
But at this stage–especially with all that Clinton did in the general election phase to help get Obama elected– I think that the Clinton brand has shifted enough that it would make smart branding sense (for Obama and Clinton but especially for the Democratic Party) for Obama to give Clinton a cabinet position–if not as Secretary of State, as something else!
Tantillo’s recent post on Obama as president-elect
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When are Americans going to learn that in matters of diplomacy, ecpecially with Islamic countries, a female Sec State is a poor choice. It is an insult to them and also makes them perceive the US as being weak, that we would send a wioman to represent the US and do our bidding. When Madeline Albright was Sec State, Saudi Arabia never sent anyone really important to meet with her. They kept her waiting and treated her rudely and then she was only allowed to met with the 7th or 8th string. If the US would show some humility and be a little more culturally sensitive in choosing diplomats, we might not be perceived as being so arrogant.
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Someone recently noted she was very quiet the rest of the campaign, leading to speculation she might have been promised something big.
I wonder, though, if Senator Clinto might be more effective with the people she deals with as Secretary of State, Klasko’s comment taken into consideration, because some would consider her more powerful because of former President Clinton? He certainly would be a complication, but possibly in a positive way.
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Senator Clinton is an effective and valuable senator. I would hate to lose her in that position. I question whether she could be as impactful in the cabinet.
I’m very hopeful that Hegel will be chosen – either for State or Defense.
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Two things:
1- Llama ought to explain his new nick name for the president elect, It reeks of ethnic slur to me. (I thought of using the new “Report comment as offensive” link, but thought I would give him a chance to explain.)
2- Bill O’Reilly thinks having Mrs. Clinton as Sec of State might put fear into some of our adversaries. His thought is that no one wants to face her, as she does not seem to exude warmth and friendliness.
Along that line, another commentator thinks this would keep her from campaigning for 2012, as she would be a part of the Obama administration.
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Klasko is exactly correct. That’s the way they are.
I also think this is more along the same kind of LBJ RFK deal. LBJ felt Bobby would be better in the WH than outside it as a critic (yes, I know the tent/urination metaphor). I dont think HRC would ever be willing to take orders from BHO as her boss. That would be political hemlock, no?
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If Hagel is chosen, that would be one less Senate RINO we can replace with a true conservative.
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Klasko,
How does that theory mesh with the following:
Indonesia: has had a female presidentPakistan: has had a female prime ministerBangladesh: has had two female prime ministersTurkey: has had a female prime minister
These are all elected positions in the largest Muslim-majority countries on earth. If anything these facts seem to imply that Muslims are more receptive to the idea of powerful female leaders than Americans are.
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My list formatting got messed up, but the point still stands: I’m not convinced that Klasko’s right that that’s just the way “they” are (as Sawgunner so charmingly puts it).
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Pecksniff,
Right now, it’s Iraq, Iran, SA, etc. that matter. Most of the countries you mentioned (with the exception of Pakistan) aren’t really on the diplomatic radar.
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Cameron,
Iran currently has a female vice president. It has had other female vice presidents in the past, as well as many other high-ranking female officials.
My point wasn’t about specifics, though—it was simply that the broad generalizations about Muslim misogyny coming from Klasko and Sawgunner are probably inaccurate (and possibly hypocritical).
The facts suggest that most political leaders in the Islamic world would have no problem respecting a female Secretary of State—particularly one with close ties to an former president.
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According to my Democratic insider relative, he obviously promised her something because he hates her.
Personally, I’m betting it’s the Supreme Court.
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#11 Peter L,
I have been using Liver Lips for Obama for a long time because of the color of his lips. They are the exact shade of purple that Arafat’s were – the original Liver Lips of terrorist fame.
It has nothing to do with enthnics, slurs or terrorism though but does have everythign to so with color – just not in a racial way.
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The best rumor is that Obama is going to name McCain as Secretary of Defense since no one on the left has any military experience that wasn’t a traitor or horribly critical of our Military Champions or anti War. The problem is that McCain ran such a lousy campaign and was so soft on Obama, Barack thinks he is too much of a woosie, way past his prime and that 5 years in the Hanoi Hilton changed John in ways that are not good.
But Obama plans on shutting the military down completely so he probably won’t need a Sec of Def anyway. He needs the money spent on defense to give to poor illegal aliens from all over the world.
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“…there will be some (many?) in the party who will complain that Obama promised something new but is in fact delivering just more of the same.”
Shoot. You may as well get used to the idea, because that’s exactly what’s going to happen. More of the same, just deeper and higher.
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You guys can’t have it both ways. Either Obama is the “most liberal president ever” and the “most radically supporter of abortion” and a total Marxist, or he’s just another Democrat like, say, Bill Clinton. If he’s this crazy radical, then what he’s going to do really will be “different”, even if only in degree. If he’s just going to give us “more of the same”, then maybe he’s not the radical he’s been portrayed as?
I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Colin Powell’s name, considering he crossed party lines to endorse Obama. Or Wesley Clark.
Klasko #8:
To me, the choice of a female Secretary of State actually represents a show of strength towards Islamic countries. It sort of says, “We know you don’t like it, and guess what- we don’t care. Deal with it.”
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And then we have to deal with their treatment of our diplomats. This is diplomacy we’re talking about here. In matters of diplomacy, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinnegar. Being in their faces with our enlightened Western ways, will not serve any good purpose toward working with people with whom we all need to get along, if for no other reason than to avoid warlike entanglements. The Islamic countries with whom it is most important that we maintain diplomatic ties are also the most mysogenist and we are their least favorite country with whom they do business. All I’m saying is that a little bit of cultural sensitivity will go a longer way than an arrogant attitude.
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Buddy,
Obama is a Marxist that is trapped in the economic mess the democratic congress has created the past two years. If he doesn’t act like a Marxist and becomes a converted capitalist all will be fine and he can be a Marxist later – perhaps in 4 years. If he does his Marxist side first he will drive the USD into a depression instead of a recession his cohorts started and never be reelected in 4 years like the lefts famous Nutty Jimmy. An Nutty Jimmy was way smarter than Liver Lips ever will be being a real nuclear engineer rather and a retreaded affirmative action type. It remains to be seen if LL is just as nutty.
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Making Clinton Secretary of State would actually be a very politically savvy move. It keeps Clinton from nipping at Obama’s heals for 4 years and prevents her from running against him in the next election.
I am waiting for Obama to nominate Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond for Secretary of Education. She is Obama’s education adviser and created the “education as reparation” mantra touted by both Obama and William Ayers.
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#13
Hagel served under the Reagan administration but now he’s a RINO. Perhaps he’s a Republican who knows corruption and ineptness when he sees it.
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People change, HRW. At least they do here in the U.S., but maybe not in Canada?
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