Obama Team Mulls Role for Miss Lewinsky in New Administration
President-Elect Barack Obama's transition team is reported to be deeply divided over whether to offer a post to Monica Lewinsky, the former White House Intern whose intimate relationship with President Bill Clinton led to his impeachment.
Until now, Lewinsky was one of the few high-profile figures from the Clinton Presidency who had not been recruited for the incoming Obama team. Mr. Clinton's brother Roger is another, though on Friday there were rumors he would be named ambassador to Spain.
One group, which includes David Axelrod, Mr. Obama's campaign manager who has been named his senior advisor, favors the move to balance the influence of the Clinton-era policy people by adding someone with a different perspective.
A second faction led by Mr. Obama's Chief-of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is bitterly opposed believing that a Lewinsky appointment would needlessly antagonize the Clintons and their supporters. Before being elected to Congress, Mr. Emanuel served as a senior advisor to President Clinton.
Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, who is expected to be nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services, responded to a reporter who asked about the Lewinsky rumors by pretending to receive a cell phone call. When the reporter took the phone from him and closed it while making a "we both know what you're doing" facial expression, Daschle said that appointing Lewinsky would be "like rubbing salt in the wounds of Senator Clinton at a time when we're supposed to be in a healing process." He added that Miss Lewinsky's presence in the White House would be "a huge distraction."
But New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who broke with the Clintons over his endorsement of Mr. Obama, said that Lewinsky was "a fresh face" with "a lot to offer." Richardson lost the post of Secretary of State to Senator Clinton and is now Mr. Obama's choice for the far less prestigious job of Secretary of Commerce. "The Obama adminstration should be focused on recruiting the best people to help us address the challenges of the future and not get bogged down in past history," he said.
The Clintons themselves have not commented on the possibility of a Lewinsky appointment though people close to her have said that Sen. Clinton was shocked and appalled by the idea. "It's a non-starter for her," said Philippe Raines, a longtime aide to Sen. Clinton. "She doesn't want to run into Monica in the West Wing ladies' room," he added.
However, Justin Cooper, who edited Mr. Clinton's autobiography, My Life, and has remained close to the former president, said that Mr. Clinton was cautiously supportive of the prospect. "He's always had great admiration for Monica's abilities," Cooper said. "I think he's just concerned that she might get in over her head if she were given a job as a political move."
Since the scandal, in addition to her status as a pop culture icon of sorts, Lewinsky has had a brief career as a handbag designer and then attended the London School of Economics where she received a master's degree in Social Psychology. Her thesis was titled "In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity."
No decision has been reached as to exactly what sort of job Lewinsky might be offered. "With her background, I could imagine her doing something on either the jurisprudence side at the Department of Justice or on the handbag side, at either the Department of Commerce or the Department of Agriculture," said Deborah Kaye, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies the Executive Branch.
Monica Lewinsky was not available for comment. Through her attorney, William Ginsburg, she released a statement, which read, in part, "I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve my country again at this crucial juncture in our history."
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this is HILARIOUS!
Just look at Kimball's bio if you're not sure about this item.
This had better be snark! We don't need an UNDER-SECRETARY OF DESK this time around.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Some things you just shouldn't joke about.
I think it's a great ideal, she was only 50% of the problem, but suffered 100% of the out come.
She's smart, out going and hard working.
As far as her and Hillary accidentally meeting in the Ladies-room, well, it would be easier than both of them meeting under a desk.
I don't agree with your last sentence, but if one is going to joke, the jokes should at least be funny.
Why isn't this in 23/6?
Have I missed something? This is of course a joke. I can't believe the serious comments here. Come on people! This is only a joke! I repeat- only a joke!
I hope.
Yes, it's a joke--it just wasn't funny!!
"Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike."
Oscar Wilde
Here's my prophetic post from some days ago.
" I despised the right wingers who indulged in personal attacks on Clintons during the Presidency. How is this tripe any different? It is only a question of time before Lewinsky and Whitewater comes into play."
posted by MagisterLudi Nov. 20 2008
Blog by Mr. Joseph:"Why would Obama want to tarnish his brand new administration with the Clinton soap opera of Monica, Whitewater...." Nov 21, 2008
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-joseph/secretary-of-state-clinto_b_145679.html?show_comment_id=18244338#comment_18244338
Blog by Mr. Kimball: "Obama Team Mulls Role for Miss Lewinsky in New Administration."
And this kind of staff is different from Karl Rove, Kenneth Starr and his pals how?!
Lewinsky is the only one that "we knew about", I would think that there must be a whole bunch
of female Clinton White House Staffers just as capable as Monica, who also deserve more time
in government work.
Monica would never have surfaced had she not kept that famous blue dress. Are there others
who simply didn't keep their dresses for history?
he got my vote one, he won't get it twice! Enough with the old administration! We want CHANGE!
Yeah, right
...and besides,....why would you hire someone who does their best work UNDER a desk?? Hmmmm?
Sure, if it was my desk.
....this IS a joke..right?.... this CANNOT be true... if it is not, let me remind the HuffPo crew.. you HAVE a website: 23-6, that posts things like this...I cannot tolerate reading this HERE, I might mistake this for truth.. PLEEEZZE tell me this isn't so...someone..ANYone... TELL me...I'm close to vomiting all over the floor.. this is maybe why I'm not laughing out loud right now.....
This is satire.
Then why is it in no way identified as such? Yahoo news thinks this is a real story and sites the source as HuffPo which does not help the image of this site.
May Obama appoint you Secretary of Comedy. We are going to need the levity.
You can't be serious! But if Mary Magdalene was able to change, I guess so can Monica. After all, she had the courage to go back to school and move on with her life, so, in a way, she didn't fall apart about the whole mess. That showed character, yet I think she is better off staying the heck out of politics. There are better ways for her to serve her country if she feels that she must do so.
Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO
You make the common mistake of thinking that Mary Magdalene was the "sinner" who washed Jesus' feet and dried them with her own hair. That would be Mary of Bethany. Mary Magdalene, as the Nag Hamadi scrolls have shown, was possibly Jesus' closest disciple.
My friend, I was referring to MM as the character in the bible. As a feminist, I'm well aware of the difference between the two characters. Not only do I believe that MM was one of Jesus' closest disciple, I believe that the MM you are referring to was His wife. Sometimes one has to read between the lines to figure out the truth: Why would Jesus choose to first appear to her instead of anyone else? There's no need to be a rocket scientist to realize that when one is resurrected one first goes to the person one has loved the most. Since history as written is full of untruths, on that particular subject I give more credence to common sense than to the former.
Carlos Jean-Gilles
Saint Louis, MO
Are you sure this is HuffPo and not The Onion? I can't believe what I'm reading.
For Hillary, carving out her place in history (finally!) is sure to take precedence over caring what the h*ll Bill is getting up to. If it doesn't affect policy, it's not her baby.
Much better to leave Bill in the hands of someone tried and trusted back home than have him trotting around the local club scene of whatever trouble spot Hillary happens to be working.
Much better to leave him at home with M*nica than have him making out all across the Middle East. Any anyway, ole Bill is not getting any younger and will eventually need a looker-after, so why not one he feels comfortable with.
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