Clinton Lawyers Vetting Her For Secretary Of State

CHICAGO — Associates of Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband say the former first lady is weighing whether to leave the Senate and become secretary of state, believing the job is hers if she wants it.

Obama transition officials say other candidates have been vetted for the job, but the New York senator has emerged as the leading contender and the vetting of former president Bill Clinton has been particularly intense. Associates say Hillary Clinton has been told that Obama wants her to be secretary of state, although accounts differ on how bluntly and directly Obama made the overture. They would speak only on grounds of anonymity because of the private nature of the negotiations.

Hoping to ease concerns about possible conflicts of interest, Bill Clinton has agreed to publicly disclose the names of all donors who have given more than $250 to his presidential library and foundation.

Comments

[balanga]

I'm lovin it. This is a CLINTON Administration!!, HRC could not have done better, the election question 'who is BO' has been answered...he's a moderate Dem who definitely is NOT about change!...after all he was the king of voting Present in the Illinois legislature....this guy wants to keep everyone happy, does not want controversy and wants to be loved..The Dem lefties are not happy, they are being taken for what they are...morons!, they and this site pilloried HRC, she was the 'devil', the Clintons and what they represented were everything that was wrong with Democratic politics...well suckers make all the excuses you like, intellectualise that the appointees are experienced etc, its all bull, Eight yrs of Bill Clinton has permeated this transition like no other ......I'm laughing [big time]...so's Joe Lieberman.

[breakingnews]

*******Congratulations**********

You are the 150th "Change TroII" to post here this morning!!

You get:

Derision

Ridicule

Slapped Around

PS - Obama can fire Clinton for any reason whatsoever. Then she will go back to NY with no Cabinet Position, no Senate Seat and no future :) YIPEE!!

[athenasword]

Thanks. Nice to know what their "theme of the day" is : )

[abby4ever]

Hmmmmmmmmm. Tempting.

[MsDoc]

I must be really old-fashioned, but I'd like to see PE Obama actually inaugurated before he is torn to shreds...

Second guessing before the first guess has been made strikes me as a tad ummmmm premature.

[Yermammy]

I agree. We're on opposite sides of the fence (obviously you're a rethug), but ya just can't get away from the hillbillies, or Neocon Lite as I like to call them. Deregulating Banks, Telco's and pushing NAFTA through aren't exactly Democratic principles (lol). There's not enough room in the Aerodrome to berth Hillary's massive gas filled ego.

[JamesR.]

Lovely. Is your ID a hope and change thing or what?

[gladys46]

Uh hmmm .. you, Mc, Palin & Lieberman laugh too much !! P.E.Obama has a nation to fix ! You, our friends may come along or continue laughing yourselves into obit or Alaska has this group called AIP ... join !

[Fabienne]

Glad you're buddies with Joe. Perhaps you can start your own party when he loses the next Senate election. Or perhaps you can both move to Israel and piss in the wells of Palestinians. Meanwhile, I might point out that both Craig and Holder abandoned the Clintons for Obama in the primaries, as did Robert Reich. As for the 100 "present" votes out of 4,000, I presume you are unable to understand the rationale behind that, which has been iterated a thousand times, so I won't bother to explain it. I am unhappy with Clinton's choice for Secretary of State, since she appears to be a neocon, and I am hoping she won't accept it, but as for the other appointments, well, nothing too surprising there. He's only just begun. At least Obama, unlike the other Democratic candidates in the past 26 years, hasn't been responsible for mass slaughter yet.

[Cherlesq]

un effing believeable. if these democrats know this is a confidential process why in the world are they talking to the press. this is inexcusable. it's the clinton way and will continue if she is appointed as SoS. get rid of her. she costs more than she is worth. find another way to neutralize her.

[MsDoc]

Some people just feel the need to sound important, if only for the moment. And, of course, others leak because they were told to (unofficially, of course ) simply to muddy the waters.

We are watching a mighty drama, most of it behind the curtains just offering us a glimpse of shadow players, to keep us occupied while the real stuff goes on elsewhere.

Remember, these people LIKE their names in the news so we won't forget about them. Giant egos need attention in order to survive, and the public has the attention spans of gnats.

[MIMom]

Morning!

How is the arm, BTW? Out of your cast yet?

[Yermammy]

Totally. She needs to be parked on the Supreme Court Bench. There's plenty of egos over there to keep her busy. I don't know WHERE she would actually be a good fit. Money and Power are her main goals in life, as per her hubby.

[Scholar in Training]

I love how Michelle Malkin is spinning this, basically linking Obama's "cult of personality" vis-a-vis Hillary with the mass suicide in Jonestown. Sickening:

http://www.acouplethings.com/blog/2008/11/malkin-subtly-links-mass-suicide-to-obama/

[abby4ever]

What??? I don't know whether I want to click that link or not.

[peacekitten]

michelle malkin is a smarmy little escapee from a petri dish that isn't worth the time of day.

if there's any justice, she and o'really will be locked together in a cell for all eternity, and she's got the strap-on.

[MIMom]

I know I don't. If someone does, fill me in, will ya?

[breakingnews]

Malkin is due for a heaping dose of Karma.

[gladys46]

Please inform me as soon as it comes for her ! She's not on my radar !

[Tsk Tsk]

In the CONservative world of vacuous, blathering, insipid and mendacious wingnuts (Sean Insanity, Rush JabbaDaNut Limbause, Bill Orally, Li@r Ingraham, etc...), this wild-eyed toothy m0n. grel is really not worthy of anyone's attention.

[BlueStateMan]

Michele Malkin's "cult of personality"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqoYwCOkDb4
.

[only1Demvoter]

BlueStateMan : Leave us not neglect her lovely ' other sensibilities '...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRPFIImZWXE

Imelda loves you Michelle.


-ralph

[Tsk Tsk]

Ohhh......and if memory serves me correctly, even one of her fellow Faux News partners, Geraldo Rivera, said Malkin was "one of the most vile people he had ever heard and he would sp. it on her if he saw her." Now there is some praise from your fellow worker. rotfl

[MaxxEliot]

To all those complaining that Obama isn't keeping his promise of change because so many of his posts are being filled with former Clinton people....I want ask one question. Given that there is more or less a two party system....where would you expect him to find qualified people with a proven track record on the democratic side?
Think people really it doesn't have to hurt ..... just give it a try.

[blueskybigstar]

Thank you. We need a multi-party system.

[peacekitten]

the american system as it stands will not tolerate such a thing at the national level.

make some inroads in local politics and prove third parties viable at that level.

don't ever "nader" this country again. we've been taking it up the @$$ for the past eight year from a fake cowboy too drunk to swallow a pretzel properly because of that. we DON'T like it.

[breakingnews]

Some people will not be satisfied until he hires an 8th grade Debate Club from Canada.

[MaxxEliot]

I love that...thanks for the laugh!

[RantingTommy]

didn't they do the vetting on Sarah Palin?

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[Reaganwater]

Thanks Maxx. yes, Change vs incomptence NOT change vs experience .

[gladys46]

Hillary hurts my head ! Will she continue ... ooooh the pain !?

[Kalima]

Does anyone really think that Bill will give it all up for love?

[TstormVA]

You are 100% right Maxx. Maybe Obama should keep the Bush staff? If Obama doesn't have qualified staff on board he will be fighting fires everyday and it will be a disaster taking at least two years to get back on track. Remember Bill Clinton's first two years in office. The problems that we are facing are too big to have that kind of start.

[MaxxEliot]

And thank you for elaborating on my point so effectively.

[anghiari]

hahahha...i meant something doesn't smell right about THIS whole thing!:))

[mdmpo]

The politico reporter of the "Hillary's torn" story said that BOTH Obama and Clintons camps are leaking. Uuugghh.

[RantingTommy]

consider the source

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[truthforme]

Maybe he meant they were taking a leak.

[only1Demvoter]

truthforme : Into, or out of the tent ?


-ralph

[gladys46]

C.Todd also suggests that FBI are knocking on doors .... people see ... MSM are also knocking on those same doors ! I have heard not one word from PE Obama or any one of his trusted spokespersons !

[MIMom]

He also said, I believe, that there are a lot of new people in the O camp....that could account for those leaks, too. Also.

[abby4ever]

Uugh is right.

[anghiari]

How do we even know that Hillary is being considered.?..I thought there were no leakers on the Obama team? Also what happen to the "No Drama edict"? Certainly Hillary brings all drama all the time Bill Clinton with her? Something doesn't smell right about his whole thing???

[blueskybigstar]

They met in Chicago about the position. She did everything she could do sneak over there, but was seen in the airport. She said it was personal business, but did meet with Obama. The leaks seemed to confirm all of this so, I guess, they get extra credibility.

[LHoney]

Andrea Mitchell leaked it days before the trip

[wadda]

Dear PE Obama,

My attorneys have thoroughly vetted me and found no legal matter that would bar me from fully functioning as Secretary of State.

I am a people person. People love me all over the world. Really.

I am available January 20, 2009, or sooner if need be.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,
Wadda

[blueskybigstar]

;)

[ultrabop]

Alright already! Enough of the vetting, as if we don't know enough about the Clintons? What nonsense! Vetting is just an excuse for her not making up her mind.

[BlueStateMan]

huh?

[NYNY]

Hint to Obama--when you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. Please note the headline on HP: the Clinton lawyers are doing the vetting. That says it all.

[breakingnews]

Ummmm....if you READ the article, it says they are helping in the vetting, not doing it solo:

" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has engaged three prominent lawyers to help President-elect Barack Obama vet her candidacy for secretary of state even as some insiders criticized the pick and advisers to the former first lady said she was weighing whether to take the job if Obama offered it."

[gladys46]

That's not what the article says ... it says she brings her own lawyers to help in the vetting of her ! Yeah, even the operative "help" ires me, but can we keep to one brand of catnip ! My head hurts !

[anticon]

They are needed to explain to the Obama people what the meaning of is is.

[artsandminds]

a nice bit of analysis

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2008/nov/18/hillary-clinton-jonathan-freedland

[JamesR.]

Looks to me like Hitchens had a youthful indiscretion.

[FaceYourFears]

Throughout the campaign, Hillary often said that she had been vetted.....guess not.

[RJII]

your right. what happened to that? Hmm.

[mcantwell]

I am hoping that Chuck Hagel get's a Cabinet Position. Secretary of Defense or State.

[gladys46]

I'd like that !

[RJII]

agreed.

[bogues]

I love Sen. Clinton but the last thing we need now, is to give the GOP a target for their anger at all the loses they just suffered. The GOP hate and despise the Clinton's and I hope and pray that Mrs. Clinton will not take an appointment in Pres. elect Obama's administration. We simply must move forward and that means no Clinton's in high places, I'm sorry but I feel strongly about that.

[CostaDelBarto]

Feel as strongly as you like but it's out of your hands really.

[abby4ever]

And yours.

[HerbTee]

Bogues, an interesting take which I hope the Obama insiders are discussing. So far, Obama has weathered all sorts of attacks from the ReTHUGs when he was the object of their attacks. No major chinks in his armor showed and he prevailed. But with Hillary as his SoS? If Hillary so much as sneezed, coughed or f.a.r.t.e.d upwind, the ReTHUGs and their bleating Reichwing sheep would attack, drill and hammer her and Obama without mercy. Hillary Clinton is a ReTHUGliKKKan lightening rod. She is a "weakness" and a risk that Obama can certainly do without.

[RantingTommy]

It's not like the Repubs have much say in the matter anymore

They can whine and moan all they want. We'll be running things in the meantime

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[truthforme]

Not that I'm a huge Hillary fan, but the republicans are going to attack, drill and hammer OBAMA without mercy, with or without HRC as SOS.

[NatteringNabob]

All Republicans have is anger, hate, and bitterness.

If it wasn't Hillary, they'd find something else to keep the sheep foaming at the mouth.

[RJII]

I agree. but it looks like she's in.

[BreakfastatTiffanys1]

Al Qaeda has run out. they are using Malcolm X to attack Obama.

They may need a guv'ment bailout at some point.

[breakingnews]

They need to demonize Obama to continue the whole "US = root of all e-vil" meme. But the rest of the world isnt buying it and will not stand for provking the US.

[BreakfastatTiffanys1]

Exactly. So Rush is right. Obama is bad for business.

Hmm. :)

[mdmpo]

Tiff - you should guest host for Rachel next time she's gone. (If you can get your lawyers to vet you properly).

FYI- they are selling the Obama coins on the Huffpost site now!

[BreakfastatTiffanys1]

I am selling the ONLY Obama Dollar.

For a limited time you can get an Obama dollar bill for the low, low price of 9.95.

A collectors item. While supplies last. Be a part of history.

Call now 800-555-1234

[breakingnews]

She did last night when Rachel was gone. But claimed her name was "Allison"...uh, huh!!

[gladys46]

The question ought to be how these tapes find their way out of he^l !???

[sharonh]

They have that same series of tubes inHell that we have, what's it called?