EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM 'RENEGADE' - Obama On Clinton Pick: "I'm Not Begging Her To Take This Job"

In an exclusive excerpt from Richard Wolffe's new book, "Renegade: The Making of a President," the author details the internal debates within the Obama camp over whether to select Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Wolffe will discuss his new book on NBC's "Today" show on Monday morning.

Of all his transition choices, none was easier to make, or more complex to execute, than Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Obama had long wanted his former rival on his team, no matter what his friends and aides said about her aggressive campaign... His staff opposed the idea for the most part, arguing that Clinton would never be truly loyal. But Obama was willing to leave the primaries behind, including his own strong feelings at the time. "I don't hold grudges," he told his aides. "I don't worry about the past. I'm concerned about what happens now. If she can help me and Bill Clinton isn't too much of a liability, we should seriously look at this." ...

Obama was under no illusion about the legacy of the long primary season. During one transition meeting, Obama said he wanted to offer Clinton the diplomatic job. "I'm really interested in pursuing this, but I know she has some hard feelings coming out of this campaign." Emanuel and John Podesta, the former Clinton official who ran the transition, assured Obama that she was over those hard feelings now. Obama smiled and said, "Believe me. She's not over it yet."

His decision to offer her the job of secretary of state came surprisingly early. Well before the end of the primaries, when his staff and friends still felt hostile to her, Obama decided that Clinton possessed the qualities to carry his diplomacy to the rest of the world. "We actually thought during the primary, when we were pretty sure we were going to win, that she could end up being a very effective secretary of state," he told me later. "I felt that she was disciplined, that she was precise, that she was smart as a whip, and that she would present a really strong image to the world...I had that mapped out."

Recruiting and managing a team of rivals would not be easy, and Clinton came with her own set of issues. Chief among them was her campaign debt, which she wanted eliminated before she took the job of secretary of state. Would the president-elect go out and help her to do so? "I'm not begging her to take this job," Obama told his senior aides. "If she wants it, I could help. But I'm not willing to go out in these difficult economic times to do a flashy fundraiser in California." As it happened, plenty of people in the Senate were begging Obama to offer Clinton the job. Obama's aides believed that many Senate Democrats thought Clinton had extended her presidential campaign far beyond the point where she had lost the election. Her negative advertising wasted Democratic money, threatened to undermine the party's nominee, and suggested that she was disloyal to the party. They were unwilling to offer the junior New York senator a position ahead of her lowly rank, and she stood little chance of becoming majority leader. "There was a lot of encouragement from inside the Senate to get her into this job," said one senior Obama aide. "They wanted her out of there." ...

As for controlling the uncontrollable Bill Clinton, Obama's aides drew up a series of checks on his fundraising for both Clinton Global Initiative and his work on HIV/AIDS across the world. But they really counted on Hillary to be the ultimate safeguard - against both her husband and her own ambition. "It's in her interests to keep him in line," warned one senior Obama aide. Others in Obama's inner circle said the president-elect believed Clinton needed to demonstrate that she was a team player and to shape her own career and legacy. "There are plenty who don't trust her and think she still harbors something," said another senior adviser. "It's still potentially problematic down the road. Barack's thinking on this is that it's not in her interests to mess with us. She can't win that fight internally and she's smart enough that she won't want that fight publicly."

Several weeks into the administration, even Clinton's internal critics believed the relationship was a success. "They have both worked really hard at it," said one senior White House official. "There's a natural affinity and respect that ironically grew out of being opponents. You get to know someone really well after all that."

Comments

[TrueThis]

The heading of this article is conflicting because at first I ignored it but I like Wolffe so I clicked on the blog. It's a buy for me once I read the article, it was pretty good. Negative heading sometime turn people off.

[allonfla]

i though exactly the same thing

[VictoriaP]

Richard Wolffe has an amazing intellect and never fails to offer insightful, witty, rational analysis. He and Lawrence O'Donnell are the best political analysts on TV. In addition, Richard in those glasses is VERY attractive in a brainy nerd sort of way.

[cactusgal]

For a minute there I thought I'd logged in as VictoriaP this morning. Co-sign!

[StellaRay]

Obama is one smart guy. Not because of all this stuff about his holding his enemies closer than his friends, I don't believe he does that, or intends to. But because he recognized that Hillary was plenty smart and strong---takes one to know one---and he wanted those qualities to back him up. Not to mention her fierceness, her focus, and her evolving sense of political deftness that we were beginning to see at the end of her run.

I believe both have a mutual respect for each other that bodes well for us, and contrary to all the worries, Hillary has been a team player and a strong SOS so far. I don't expect that to change. She's smart, he's smart, and they've learned to work it together.

[partyofone]

thanks for a well stated perspective. Time will tell.

[Maggy Hawk]

Well put!

[Chitown46]

Thank you for that comment. There is still a lot of Hillary hating going on but at least our President recognized her as a worthy part of his team and doesn't hold a grudge. I also believe that Hillary got over her lost she and is going to serve this President as a true Democratic and an awesome Secretary of State. It is great to see them working as a team. People that lost respect for the Clinton's over the past year don't seem to have a good handle on the history of primaries. Look at Ted Kennedy's actions during the 1980 primaries and the way he conducted himself during the Democratic Convention. Hillary is a class act in comparison. The only comments against the Clinton's that I agree with is that Bill really needs to get over this.

[NotStarvingArtist]

Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. That's why Obama chose Clinton as Secretary of State. I just hope he always watches his back where she's concerned. I will never trust either of the Clintons.

[Melissa]

He did not want a fund raiser in these difficult economic tmes but he can spend over $24,000 flying to NYC for "date night". Makes a lot of sense!

[Northlite]

How about the millions and millions of dollars we spent flying George Bush to Texas to cut brush? George Bush took more time off--always on the public's tax dollars--than any President in modern history.

[Catjya]

HE paid for it,not taxpayers!! We still can spend our own funds,can't we?

[NevaforLeadership]

My sentiments exactly.

I distrust her so much that when she toes Obama's line, I wonder why.

[Atac]

I might check this one out, seems fascinating. The excerpt was interesting.

[MsMicki]

Richard Wolffe was not with the Obama program during the primaries. He used to bring up every issue against him and make it sound as if there was "a slight chance", one of his favorite phrases, about almost everything. He was made fun of once for having to go around with Obama and made a wise crack that I thought was in poor taste since he was following and reporting on the man everyday. He has changed his tune since Obama won, somewhat, but I still don't trust him.

[WongChin]

You must be talking about a completely different Richard Wolffe, and frankly people should talk so categorically only about things they know. You do not know Richard Wolffe or you may be confusing him with somebody else.

The Richard Wolffe I know, the one who reported for Newsweek, the one who spoke with a British accent, the one who appeared almost everyday on Countdown, Hardball, Rachel Maddow Show was always there boosting Obama. The only time I saw a tinge of criticism from him was when he felt Obama should distance himself from Rev. Wright.

To say that this Richard Wolffe was against Obama is either a completely uninformed assertion or blatant slander.

[exclintonsupporter]

Agreed. I was confused about this comment so I went and googled Richard Wolfe to see if this was the same person. The Richard Wolfe I was familiar with seemed to always be in support of Obama and his campaign...and as you point out the only negative comments from him about Obama was during the entire media madness regarding Rev. Wright.

[ywcachieve]

Another political hack job. I won't be reading it.

[NevaforLeadership]

How many books about the various politicians have you read?

Did you read the platforms of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain?

Think I can guess the answer.

To be informed voters, we have to read about the people for whom we are voting.

[murphysgirl]

Of all the gazillion Obama books out there, I would actually consider buying this one.

[cjk002]

Richard Wolffe is one of those few reporters who you can actually believe when he qoutes an insider. I also can't wait for the HBO movie about the election.

[LeftLeanWing]

Can't wait for the Musical.

[westbrooks01]

Can't wait to get my hands on that book!

[nellie]

It really does look like a good read.

[harriscrl3]

I'm getting it myself. I dont read books about Obama but I will an exception in this case.

Carol

[NevaforLeadership]

Carol,

I strongly urge you to read "Dreams From My Father." It is a biographical work that stands alone. An incredible piece of writing even if he had never decided to enter politics.

It reveals Obama's incredible honesty; no name dropping or sugarcoating to make himself look better (a la Hillary Clinton's book), and his ability to transcend "race" after years of struggling with his identity.

It is important for us to read about (and get to know as much as possible) all our politicians. This book is what made me say, "Wow," and join Obama's movement for change.

[getcaption]

whatever

[Deparis]

Whatever... thanks, but no thanks for your non contribution to the discussion.