Dem Foreign Policy Experts Fear Clinton Team

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) almost certain to become President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state, some foreign-policy experts in the Obama orbit are expressing frustration.

Clinton herself isn't so much the problem, they say. It's the loyalists and traditional thinkers Clinton is likely to bring into the State Dept. if she becomes secretary.

The dispute is only partly ideological in nature. While the coterie of foreign-policy thinkers around Obama have been more liberal, in an aggregate sense -- on issues like Iraq and negotiations with America's adversaries -- the Obama loyalists question the boldness of the Clintonites. They fear that Obama's apparent embrace of Clinton represents an acquiescence to the conventional Democratic foreign-policy approaches that they once derided as courting disaster. Some wonder whether a Clinton-run State Dept. will hire progressive Obama partisans after an acrimonious primary.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[hannabanana]

plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose

[daisydukes]

Obama did his "Hillary pick" with his eyes wide open. There is a reason why he did not pick her for his VP (the second most powerful position) inspite of pressure from the "experts' and the media. Our new prez is very meticulous and measured. He picked people with great minds who have proven themselves and just happened to be from a Clinton era. Hillary was eventually going to have a position in O's administration (even if she acquired her experience travelling around the world as the first lady). Instead of giving her a one-way ticket, O must have recognized something in her. Also, O has hero status around the world and people would line up to hear and see him speak and be quite happy to read about Hillary's visit in their local newspaper. Hillary is in the league of every politician, Obama is in one of his own. Bill's popularity already pails in comparison with the way Obama is already been viewed (new babies and schools are named after him) and it can only go up from here. Hillary is also no spring chicken and getting older; To secure a good solid image, she has too much to lose if she does not work with Obama, her image is already tainted (and her current drama queen actions of not knowing if she wants the job, should she take it, maybe she needs more time to think etc. etc.... is not looking good for her).

[vinny]

I can't decide if I like HRC for SoS or not. The big concerns many of us seem to have with HRC as SoS are: a) whether she can avoid drama, (b) whether she can follow, and (c) whether she can be an effective diplomat. Here are my gut-level rankings for each category (max = 1).

(a) avoid drama +0.50 // HRC, on one hand, is a drama magnet. Bill is simply radio-active despite himself. HRC, however, did a good job as the senator for NY without much controversy. And the Rs have been demoralized and may not be as vicious as they have been in the past.

(b) can follow +0.75 // HRC will be more or less a team player. I speculate that the State Department will her domain, and that O will have a somewhat difficult time controlling its activity if HRC becomes focused on her own priorities.

(c) effective diplomat +0.75 // Iraq will be the first big project. Can she bring al Sadr to the table and reconcile political factions to a democratic process? I just don't know yet. Confirmation hearings are needed. She has a lot of upside. Someone describe her as a "force multiplier," which is probably true.

Total ranking: 2.00

[EducatedObserver]

Vinny,

I find your tables fascinating. Allow me to respond:

a) I feel a "dramatic" secretary of state is what is needed at this time. Here I use the word to mean possessing gravitas, intelligence, certitude. I would not worry about the Republican reaction - Hillary is supported by that group.

b) I would want to believe that someone of Clinton's intelligence would have sorted out the "follow/lead" bits of her job description, before accepting the position.

c) Far more important than "confirmation hearings" is the global respect which the Clinton brand garners.

[realtalking]

Maybe she should stay in the senate, because she is already getting on my nerves!!
If Hillary is able to get the Secretary of State job, if all Bill's actions after leaving the White House are able to pass the smell test, Hillary Clinton better step up, and do a stellar job as Secretary Of State for this country, after all she wanted to be president. The fact is, if Hillary can't handle the job of Secretary Of State, if she fails at getting things done, and turns out to be all about drama, we will all have a verdict on how she would have performed as a president, had she actually been lucky enough to win the election.

[bassopro]

I spent a lifetime in October 1962, off Cuba maintaining the fragile communication that prevented the landing triggering WWIII, the Nuclear Holocaust that would have have destroyed us all.. I lived in Russia from 2003 - 2004" Russians still respected Americans. One can purchase 104 T-shirt varieties of F***K Bush T-shirts. Soon Russian woman will wear "т�ахнитесь Clinton" Pantsuits. WHY! Barack Obama named a Secretary of State so stupid that she told Vladimir Putin "He had no Soul". There's no conceivable iRussian insult more deeply offensive! Bubbette Clinton still believes she's Goldwater's cheerleader for the YAF. and Pole-Polisher??? Change: does NOT include Bubba and Buttette Clinton- to call them. Change is not only an oxymoron. It is an insult to the credibility of the American people. I voted for Barack Obama because he promised a Change from the Divisive and Mendacious politics of the Bush"s and Clinton administrations!. Barack, If you haven't the courage to say NO to the unending dramas, lies, and underhanded dealings of the Clintons, how can we expect you to deal with an Achminajad, a Putin, a Kim Jung Il?, let alone lead the American people? There are choices:: Bill Richardson is a true native. His ethics are untainted, he's truly experienced in foreign affairs and has had the courage to support Obama @ a critical time despite the Clinton-thug attacks. Richardson is a true proponent of change, not Walmart blue-light treason! Make a sensible choice for Secretary of State.

[vinny]

Richardson doesn't strike me as tough enough for the job.

[HerbTee]

So having a great big mouth and going around talking tough at people rather than talking with people or directly to people works for you, does it? Is that your definition of being "tough"...swaggering, bullying and barking like some rabid wolfhound at other nations and leaders? Well, good luck with that stupid mentality as it worked so well for Bush and his ReTHUGliKKKan minions.

That lame toughness argument was used unsuccessfully against Obama for not being "tough" enough or having the gonads to be tough by both Clinton, McCain and their supporters. Yet, Obama soundly beat both of them and he's now the P-E! I think Obama, as well as Richardson, are both very tough enough to take a punch and to return an even bigger punch on their terms...if and when returning a punch is necessary. I'd bet my money on a professionally trained precision boxer any day over a tough, loud-mouthed street brawler.

[Rog49Thomas]

Hmm and the "radical" candidate for SoS was precisely who?

Ramsey Clark?

Noam Chomsky?

[spartanmom]

I have never been a huge fan of Hillary's but as a New Yorker and a Spartan Mom, I do appreciate her service and the attention she has given to the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum, NY.

If she can internalize Obama's agenda, she will be fantastic.
If Bill can sit down an shut ^ she can be effective.

I just wonder who would get her seat

[lilalee]

WE DONT NEED ANYMORE CLINTONS IN WHITE HOUSE. COULD IT BE THAT MR. OBAMA FEELS HE NEEDS THEIR HELP SINCE HE IS NOT EXPERIENCED TO LEAD AND NEEDS HELP./ HE WAS NOT THE RIGHT PERSON TO LEAD IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES. HOPE HE KNOWS NO MORE BAILOUTS.

[HerbTee]

You are so jaded and so wrong with your post. Obama could have his pick of foreign policy experienced persons for the position of SoS, including Bill Richardson...the likely better choice than Hillary Clinton. People keep emphasizing on Hillary's "experiences" in foreign policy. Being the wife of an ex-President and having a familiar face to most world leaders does not necessarily constitute foreign policy or diplomatic experience. Being the SoS is not a popularity contest! To my knowledge, Hillary has never dealt directly with a diplomatic or foreign policy crisis with foreign leaders...but Bill Richardson certainly has.

Here"s another point in which jaded people often forget. One can have age and experiences up the kazoo. But if a person cannot get along well with people or with superiors like the POTUS, cannot work well with and are disrespectful or belittling to others and can only see their visions of everything without taking other viewpoints into consideration, then that person is rather USELESS in a large matrix organization like the Federal Government!!

[Coinyer101]

"The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result." -- Barack Obama, Dec 27, 2007 http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1063162&srvc=next_article

[solarenergy]

Thanks for the quote. Still the guy at the top isn't from that crowd.

[bygollymissmolly]

on how many different threads are you going to post this. Anyone every told you that you are a "one trick pony". It's time to go back to the RNC and ask for some new material.

[spartanmom]

Thomas Friedman wrote a recent NYT column about the roll of the SOS, the gist of which was that there has to be no daylight between the POTUS and his SOS, so that foreign leaders know that when the SOS speaks, the words are those of the President and that the president will back up whatever State says. That takes a lot of trust and is definitely a challenge.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/opinion/19friedman.html?_r=1

If Hillary can adjust to staying married to Bill I think she can probably adjust to being the kind of SOS Friedman describes. I also know it is possible for a person to fight tooth and nail for their position but to get on board and be a team player even when their position doesn't prevail.

I think Hillary is smart enough to fill that role

[Coinyer101]

whatever

[HerbTee]

Her marriage to Bill, no matter how intimate or how dysfunctional their marriage may be, is no concern of mine...I could care less. What I do care about is a person of extreme ego and drama being selected for an important position by a man who's foreign policy visions, and even his existence as a former opponent, was maligned, questioned and ridiculed. Now, Obama wants to bring that same person within his Cabinet and that issue has Obama's most devoted supporters very, very concerned.

a.) Can she be trusted to follow Obama's directives, or will she go rogue (with Bill in the background prodding her)?

b.) Will she do the POTUS' bidding, be able to follow directives and toe the line when required?

c.) Will she be respected at face value by other world leaders (too many assumptions that she will automatically be respected by leaders without having to prove herself or earning their trust)?

d.) Can her overly-inflated ego be trusted to work well and cohesively with others like the SecDef, the National Security Adviser, the WH Chief of Staff, accepting private or official advice from VP Joe Biden (who would be an excellent SoS himself if not the VP-E), the intelligence and law enforcement departments?

As an avid Obama supporter (not a Clinton-supporting Obama convert), these are but a few real concerns I have for bringing the Clintons into or even near the Obama Administration.

[tyrdofwaitin]

HerbTee: I agree with all your points of concern. I too found Hillary's campaign against Obama a disgrace: I wish he had chosen someone else for SOS. That said, everytime I've second-guessed Obama, I've been wrong. Although he's not infalible, he's smart and cunning; I don't see him bringing a disaster into his cabinet.

For one thing, I believe that when the Clinton's have no one to answer to but themselves, they're like spoiled children run amok. What's different this time is that they must answer a no-nonsense chief executive: Barack Obama doesn't suffer fools or drama queens. I'm going to trust his judgement-call on this because I believe he knows something that we don't.

[bygollymissmolly]

The answer to all three of your questions is "yes". If she doesn't, she will be out of a job and out of government. She can't exactly ask for her Senate seat back. I don't believe that Hillary would be leaving her Senate seat if she wasn't willing to be a team player.

Plus, I expect that Obama is going to make Biden her mentor and be the one who keeps an eye on her.

[yoli647]

I agree!

[Ira7]

I can't believe that Richardson has any capital at all amongst some of you, considering his approach to Hugo Chavez.

I'm a liberal, but Richardson's love and admiration for a downright fascist and socialist even turns MY stomach.

Obama is going to have to show himself as a very rare combination of liberal world ideology tempered with the reality of very old-fashioned iron-fisted diplomacy. And he's probably the only guy on earth who's going to be able to pull this off.

Richardson brings nothing to the party. And an unloyal whining one at that.

He stabbed Hillary in the back with his Obama endorsement, but instead of Obama hiring him for a top spot, he picks Clinton because he knows she would do a better job as SOS.

I am more in love with our new president than ever.

HOORAY! WE FINALLY HAVE SOME BRAINS IN THE WHITE HOUSE!

Because Obama's Hillary pick was NOT about politics. It was the exact OPPOSITE!!!

[Coinyer101]

wow. r u ever ign orant.

[solarenergy]

Chavez can't be both a fascist and a socialist at the same time. Contradiction in terms.

[Egalitare]

A year from now, we will be wondering why we were supposed to hate Chavez.

[HerbTee]

Well, before you go stabbing Richardson in HIS back as you claim he did to Hillary, the jury's still out on whether she's getting the job anyway. Personally, I hope Hillary DOES NOT get the position...even if Richardson doesn't get it either. She's certainly capable of doing the job. Unfortunately, she was too hateful and too critical of Obama's foreign policy viewpoints. Also, she brings too much baggage and too much drama to the table, she'll bring too many of her own lackeys and lapdogs into the State Department who are loyal ONLY to her and Bill Clinton, not to Obama, to Biden, to other potilicians or to the American people. Just because she's someone popular, that doesn't necessarily equate to being competent or being well-suited for a particular position.

I see far too many negatives in dealing with Hillary Clinton and her throng of minions than many real positives.

[clsmithj]

I just don't see Hillary Clinton sitting down with the foreign leaders of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. l

[Coinyer101]

me either. this is a bad joke on a lot of barack's supporters.

[HerbTee]

CL, that's because some of these people think that, just because they love the Clintons, everyone else in the world should too. When it comes to the Muslim world and even some Asian countries for that matter, would Hillary Clinton stand any taller or fare any better than a Bill Richardson? For anyone with half a brain, or who has traveled or lived in those parts of the world, male diplomats would fare far better than females. That's not sexist, it's just a plain unadulterated fact that no politician or the MSN in this country would dare utter for fear of being labeled a sexist.

Take a close look at many of our large US corporations like Boeing, Motorola, Lockheed-Martin and others who do major business in Muslim or Asian countries. These companies rarely assign women in executive or high-level managerial positions within those countries, no matter how smart, capable or intelligent these woman are. That's not being sexist...that's just business!

[jwatso7]

I was no Hillary fan in the primary, but this appointment is growing on me. Say what you will about Hillary, she's not stupid. She knows she can't appear to be hijacking the administration for her own purposes. Do any of us think Obama would just let something like that go? He'd fire her and she'd be gone without a secretary's position or a senate seat. And from the world's perspective, our reputation is in tatters. We need a person who will have the same type of marquee value as our president to help reestablish our global relationships. As much as Americans love to hate on the Clintons, people around the globe like them a lot. That will go a long way to restore our reputation. I'm slightly on the side of the line of holding my breath to see what happens, but I don't believe this is the catastrophe so many Obama supporters are making it out to be. We supported the guy because he's smart, right? Give him a chance to show his rationale at work.

[vinny]

i dont think O will be in any position to fire HRC... the political fallout would just be too great...

[HerbTee]

Which is why he SHOULD NOT bring Hillary on in the first place. She's too much of an unknown liability once she's in office. You know the old saying, "never hire soneone you cannot fire!"

[Independent voter]

How can the woman who was fired from her first law job; who falsely claimed to bring peace to Ireland; who saw snipers when there were none; who took illegal money from Paul; who imagined vast right wing conspiracies when there were none; who dragged Rev. Wright out of the closet; who would not deny that Obama is a Muslim; who played the bitter tape endlessly; who lied about NAFTA etc. etc.

- be America's representative to the world. Gimme break O

[Coinyer101]

yeah. this is the first major f*ckup,so far.like we dont know he's paying her off and giving richardson the shaft. i dont think our troops will be leaving iraq, soon. hillary will need to keep them there to guard iran until she's ready to obliterate them. the politics of change are smelling the same, in regards to foreign policy.

[DamageControl]

please shut up already, Richardson is cool but your taking things way past reason. get a grip.

[pesfb]

With Hillary and the six or so other Clintonites picked (so far), looks like it's full speed ahead to the rear for Obama.

[bygollymissmolly]

You folks are amazing. Would you rather that Obama hire nothing but newbies to handle the horrid problems this country is facing right now? I would much rather he hire experienced people. And just because someone worked for Bill Clinton does not make them Bill Clinton.

Get real folks.

I'm coming to the conclusion that all you naysayers are nothing more than very disappointed Republicans who are trying to sow the seeds of discontent before Obama even takes office.

[lisakaz2]

Seems to me O'bama could blunt the criticism. Doesn't he have some veto over the dept as a whole so that whichever of the "followers" might be a problem are left behind or in unthreatening role(s).