Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State?
James Forsyth 1:28pm
Mike Allen has the latest on the rumour that Washington is obsessing over:
“Even officials who like the idea threw up strong “caution” flags. Fresh off his electoral triumph, Obama does not feel he needs the Clintons. The president-elect has never liked the idea of former President Bill Clinton as a back-seat driver. The former president has had many tangled foreign business dealings that could complicate his wife’s entry into an administration that is promising transparency. And at most a few people, none of whom are talking, know what Obama really thinks about all this.But some Obama advisers argue that Clinton would be an ideal fit if Obama concludes that he will have to focus his early days in office on the domestic economy, and will have to essentially outsource heavy-duty foreign travel to his secretary of State. Her celebrity and credibility would be a huge asset in his goal of reengaging the United States with allies. “You can send out John Kerry or Chuck Hagel,” said one adviser, mentioning some other candidates for secretary of State. “Sending Hillary Clinton out is better.”
The officials said Clinton becomes even more attractive if Obama retains President Bush’s last secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. Some Obama advisers are advocated that course because he would provide cover for drawing down troops in Iraq: Gates has said he believes that is possible, and it would keep Obama out of a fight he can’t afford with the Army Gen. David Petraeus, now the head of the U.S. Central Command.
An Obama adviser threw out one final rationale: It’s better to have the Clintons inside the tent than outside, causing trouble.”
Personally, I’m just glad to see Obama considering someone with such hawkish tendencies for Secretary of State.
Previous
Ken
November 14th, 2008 1:57pm Report this commentGive the job to Hillary on the condition she divorces Bill,and he has it made. So does she.
Susan Hill
November 14th, 2008 2:13pm Report this commentGood for Obama. If it`s true...also, it will ensure she is so busy she has no time to plot against him,
William Norton
November 14th, 2008 2:35pm Report this commentOr, in other words: answer your own bloody 3am phone call.
SJH
November 14th, 2008 2:57pm Report this commentShe is unreliably hawkish when in comes to events on foreign soil. That trip to Sarajevo airport in 1996 for example…seems it was only Hillary who saw it as a life-threatening gun battle. Obama might prefer someone more attached to reality representing America in the world's hotspots.
albert son of a gypsy
November 14th, 2008 4:32pm Report this commentI do hope so. That will ensure it is a one term presidency.
Verity
November 14th, 2008 6:10pm Report this commentI don't see it. Bill and Hillary have their own agenda and it doesn't include bending the knee to an inexperienced tyro like Obama. They won't want her associated with all the huge mistakes and misjudgements Obama will make.
Austin Barry
November 14th, 2008 7:27pm Report this commentThe thought of Hillary strutting through the World's trouble spots in her camouflaged pantsuit is depressing. I can't see Obama wanting to work closely with the Clintons (Bill will always be a tacit part of the package): they are yesterday's couple.
Conservative Cabbie
November 15th, 2008 10:15am Report this commentSJH said "Obama might prefer someone more attached to reality representing America in the world's hotspots"
Do you mean like Joe Biden who claimed he was shot at in Baghdad and that his helicopter was "downed" between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of course he neglected to mention that it was only "downed" by a snowstorm.
JONNY
November 15th, 2008 11:09am Report this comment'Bill and Hillary have their own agenda and it doesn't include bending the knee to an inexperienced tyro like Obama'
At least Verity no one could ever accuse you of being biased.
Augustus
November 15th, 2008 5:09pm Report this commentWhen you put it all together, it's hard to decide whether 2008 was a step forward or a step back for the cause of gender equality. By running for national office, each became cultural flashpoints, barraged with criticism for everything from Clinton's laugh and her trouser suits to her ambition, which made some pundits uneasy. The media then proceeded to have a field day mocking Palin as a dizzy former beauty queen, while male Republicans who supported her went on about her looks. Both Clinton and Palin have 'unearthed the land mines' that await their female successors, but without defusing any of them.
Back to top