The Hillary Gamble
By Don | November 20, 2008
Ben Smith from the Politico has an interesting take on the potential selection of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
What is Barack Obama thinking?
We’ve heard all the rational arguments: Hillary Rodham Clinton has more star power than Richard Holbrooke, more discipline than Bill Richardson, fewer bad jokes than John F. Kerry. She’s tough and competent. She’s a woman and a Democrat, making space for a Republican guy at Defense. It would get her out of the Senate. Both Obama and Clinton loved Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, “Team of Rivals.”
But the sum of those parts seems something less than the whole explanation for Obama’s first great presidential gamble: his move toward giving his former adversary, whose judgment on foreign policy he criticized relentlessly, by offering her the most important Cabinet position in his administration.
Neither Holbrooke, Kerry nor Richardson would bring Clinton’s downsides: Her towering, volcanic husband; her own ambitions; and the endless speculation about the two of them.
“She brings so much to the table,” said Abner Mikva, a former Clinton White House counsel and an Obama mentor. “On the other hand, there are the obvious downsides, the conflicts that that her husband has.”
Insiders around Obama say the X factor at play is Obama’s icy tolerance for risk, and his belief in the power of the grand gesture.
Throughout his political career, Obama has had a tendency to “go big,” as his aides say, with dramatic moves and giant spectacles punctuating his run for president — his head-on race speech, his presidential-style tour of the Middle East and Europe, an acceptance speech held in a football stadium.
The Clinton move, like those, marries an arguably practical choice with lofty symbolism: He’s enlarging his own administration by bringing in one of the leading figures in American politics, and delivering on a promise of a new politics that doesn’t play favorites or hold grudges.
“It says that he has the personal confidence to engage someone of the notoriety and substance of Sen. Clinton,” said Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida, an early Obama supporter and prominent campaign surrogate. “Implementing change is an exciting exercise.”
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Placing Hillary at State is like installing a Ford engine in a Chevrolet. You can make the engine work but the drive-train parts don’t match up and that car will never leave the garage.
Hillary is certainly sufficiently qualified to be a super Secretary of State - but I also believe she can directly accomplish a whole lot for 20 million New York Staters if she continues on as Senator and, then, transitions over to Governor.
They are both very good at what they do. What they do is not very good.
Corrupt, Post 4;
I think the reasonable response would be to, first, wait to see what “they” actually do, and, second, allow enough time to pass for any actions to take hold before assessing the results.
If ANY president, REGARDLESS of party or political perspective, is SUCCESSFUL - - then WE are ALL SUCCESSFUL.
From what I hear, Sen. Hillary Clinton has said this afternoon that she is ready to resign from the Senate and accept president-elect Barack Obama’s nomination as Secretary of State.
After the last eight years and the clearly observable failed results of the policies and actions of the current administration, I think ANY reasonable person would now be optimistically HOPING FOR (MUCH) BETTER from the soon-to-be-new administration.
And keep in mind: In 1860, Abraham Lincoln’s competitor for the GOP nomination was an extremely ambitious and capable Senator from New York - William Seward. And, after Lincoln won the nomination in a major political battle - and then won the presidency much more easily - Lincoln turned around and selected Seward to be his uniquely successful Secretary of State!
In truth, Barack Obama premised his whole candidacy (even among the Democrats) on his personal desire, willingness and ability to rise above the petty and divisive politics of the day. I believe he should be given an open-minded chance to prove that he can and will do so.
The Red-Blue divisiveness in this country of late, if left to continue and become worse than it is now, is, in my opinion, a much more serious threat to the future well-being of this country than are any foreign terrorists.
November 21 at 9:29 am | #1 | Link
....... and delivering on a promise of a new politics that doesn’t play favorites or hold grudges.
Yet, she and Bubba are the masters of playing favorites and holding grudges! Not a wise move,
Mr. Obummer.