First of all, what's with the all the female Secretary of States? Maybe it has something to do with ability to compromise. However, based on my experience with the opposite sex using that criteria, a male would make a better Secretary of State. But that's a whole new blog. For some reason having visited lots of countries makes one qualified to be Secretary of State. That would include a lot of retired folks and students trying to find themselves. However, she has met lots of foreign leaders. In fact, MUCH more than her boss and her husband when he was in the same position. Speaking of her husband, apparently he has agreed to behave himself, step back from the Clinton Foundation, reveal the donors to the Clinton library, and keep all his affairs domestic. So that's good.
Some quotes that might be of interest:
The Washington Post columnist and Clinton sceptic, David Ignatius, added: "The idea of subcontracting foreign policy to Clinton, a big, hungry, needy ego surrounded by a team that's hungrier and needier still, strikes me as a mistake of potentially enormous proportions." It is a view I believe that many around the President-elect now share.
Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, the dean of Washington's foreign policy writers, warned: "When it comes to appointing a secretary of state, you do not want a team of rivals. Foreign leaders can spot daylight between a president and a secretary of state from 1,000 miles away."
Steven Clemons, senior fellow at the left-leaning think tank the New America Foundation, summed up their dilemma: "This rock star President-elect may either be confused, deluded and self-destructive in sculpting a team that has a high probability of paralysing itself in vicious internal skirmishes - or he may just be brilliant, really, really brilliant."
At a minimum, it's going to be fun to watch.
3 comments:
I just really wish she would go away.
Do you really think this is a done deal or the media being jerked around. They're saying it will be announced after Thanksgiving. Very odd way of doing it - maybe these are feelers going out. I really don't have a problem with her being it (she's more qualified than BO is to be President) - it's just that where we have the majority of world problems women (no matter whom) have absolutely no cred. As bright and intelligent as Condi Rice is she could accomplish nothing. Male under-secretarys did a lot of the meetings. Females are not seen as equals there, no matter our view, so it's a definite hindrance going in. But, hey, he seems to be reinstalling the Clinton Administation again, so why not go all the way?
A talking head made a good point about all the Clintonistas in the Obama administration. When George W. Bush was elected, he brought a lot of people from his dad's administration into his administration. For Obama to bring experienced people into his administration other than Clintonistas he would have to pull them out of nursing homes. But the difference is, Bush didn't win on the theme of "fundamental change". Obama did. And so far, there is little, if any, change being exhibited.
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