Lugar: "There Will Be Questions Raised" About Bill Clinton's Foreign Work

ABC News:

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told me today that while he believes he will vote to confirm Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as President-elect Barack Obama's Secretary of State, questions linger about former President Bill Clinton's foreign work.

As part of a deal worked out between lawyers for the former president and Obama's transition team looking to clear obstacles to Hillary Clinton's nomination as Secretary of State, Bill Clinton has agreed to a number of concessions, including disclosing all contributors to his foundation, separating his Clinton Global Initiative from his foundation, and end any Clinton Global Initiative meetings outside of the United States, and submit any future speeches, projects and contracts to the State Department ethics czar for approval.

...

"I suspect, however, that I'm not alone in suggesting there will be questions raised and will probably be legitimate," Lugar said.

Read the whole story: ABC News

Comments

[stell]

ArcEnCiel, that will never be raised. The same is happening throughout Africa, particulary along the Great Rift Valley. We will see who Obama selects for Africa policy, as it is clear the resources wars will only worsen.

[RRoadrunner]

Questions about Bill Clinton? The republican party has a TON of questions to answer. Nothing Cliton may have done can compare to what needs to be answered.
Let the questioning begin...

[SouthPrairie]

Dude, you think that you are going to menace Obama like you folks menaced the Clintons, but I've got news for you. WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT BACK! You haters are not going to get anywhere with your "Grand OLD Party" games. This is a new era and a new generation of literate citizens that will reveal your insideous deeds for what they are--insideous.

Whatever. You folks have not only lost your clout, you've lost your credibility as well.

[Joeblue]

Lex Lugar why don't you check your own repukelican backyard.

[chronic]

Amen!!

[PKSSK]

I hope all US Senators do a thorough job of vetting the Clinton's. Everything should be put out on the table and that includes all personal investments, both financial and emotional, that have served their power hungry intentions, both personal and professional, for the last eight years.

[klondiker]

Whatever.

The confirmation process is going to be a breeze.

We currently have 58 Democratic Senators, half of whom from states that voted for Hillary in the primary - they would not dare say no to Hillary's nomination. Plus, there's probably a bunch of Republicans who will vote for her also. Certainly all the moderates (the Olympia Snowe types), and even a few conservatives (I don't see how John McCain and Lindsey Graham will vote against her).

Add to this the fact that Obama's current popularity is soaring somewhere above 60, if not much higher. Congress wouldn't be so naive as to overturn that and reject one of his nominees.

Bottom Line: we are easily looking at a 70-80+ vote confirmation.

[SwingVoter]

Let us hope you're wrong.

[independent32955]

ah yes, the GOP pet project, destruction of the clintons because they are so evil, despite the fact that we've lived through 8 years of Bush hell, they want to focus on the clintons again...so, whatever. ask what you want, vote against her and she'll still be confirmed

gop stands for a bunch of idiot white men too stupid to make any sense at all. yea, i know it doesnt fit...

[Fabienne]

Lugar was right about the war, neither Clinton was.

[buddhistMonkey]

The only Republican Senator to vote against the war was Lincoln Chafee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Resolution

[Coinyer101]

clinton drama will abound!

[bobbysgurl]

I'm hoping HRC cannot get vetted. I don't think she is the answer for the SoS.

[rainbowblue]

She has been vetted, that's the preprocess before the nomination. You mean confirmed, Obama would not put her up if she could not get confirmed. It would be a political shot to the foot on day one.

[motley2]

Sounds like the State Department will need a special group dedicated to The Clinton Concessions, available for ethics review 24/7/365. Oh what fun!

[serindipity803]

That will work - then we can all go forward. I'm for it!

[Lorifromky]

I actually watched this interview. (It was the first time I watched an ABC news program since that appalling debate in April.) I thought Senator Lugar was very practical. He basically said he would vote for Senator Clinton, barring any startling revelations that might come from the Clinton camp. Lugar said, quite rightly, that this is unchartered territory with the spouse of a former POTUS becoming SOS. There will be issues that have to be ironed out. This headline seems to imply controversy, and I do not think the statements made by Lugar were controversial. His statements made sense and were logical.

[FebM]

I listened to this too and I thought the most telling part was when they pointed out that Obama had called for a high level joint commitment of fighting terrorism by India, Pakistan and Afghanistan when he was in Jordan. The events of this week in Mumbai just brings out the urgency of such an approach. If there is a an area Obama is highly qualified in insight, its foreign policy and Lugar seems to affirm that

[ArcEnCiel]

Bill Clinton started the politic of uprooting africans (Congo) for their mineral wealth (Coltan) by supporting a mono-ethnic Rwanda. Bill was working for multi-nationals (Big corporates); will Hillary continue the politics of uprooting defenseless congolese from their land to install Canadians and US companies for coltan's mining?

We have a charity operating in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and South East Asia; from what we are gathering, HRC as SOS is frightening africans who hoped for an end to wars for control of mineral fields!