I've been wondering, why do some here disparage Caroline Kennedy?

[mmonk]

There has been mention of her as UN Ambassador and Caroline is very politically attuned. One of my favorite books is coauthored by her concerning law and the Constitution. She has the right temperament for UN Ambassador and is supportive of its goals. Is it related to her choice in the primaries?

[eridani]

1. Who's disparaging Caroline Kennedy?

She'd be fine as UN ambassador.

[mmonk]

2. I've seen comments in threads concerning the issue.

[Vinca]

3. I've never read a post here that is anything but positive about her.

She's a very smart woman who is well qualified to serve in the government.

[lamp_shade]

4. I saw them too and wondered as you do.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Same reason women faculty at college get more grievances filed against them than men...

etc. People are more comfortable challenging women.

[renie408]

5. Because there are 140,000 members here and they all don't think the exact same things? n/t

[mmonk]

7. That would be fine if they prefer someone else, but to pretend

she knows nothing is a stretch.

[No Elephants]

6. I admire Caroline Kennedy--AND her choice in the primaries.

[Perky]

8. She has the temperment, but not the Foreign Policy chops.

SHe has no foriegn polcicy or public service experience.


It is a very serious role.... and there is nothing in her background to suggest that she is up for the job.

[mmonk]

10. I would put her knowledge of the world and political landscape

as well as law very high.

[Perky]

17. based on what?

Knowing people as a result of her inherited celebrity?

Do you think she is as qualified as John Bolton, or John Danforth, Or Nargraponte? Or GHWB? or Andy Young or Richard Holbrooke? or Jeanne Kirkpatrick?

This is a role for scholars, foreign service professionals and formerly elected officials. She is none of the above.


If you want to nominate her to the Court of St. James, I would have no problem with that. If you want her to special amabassador for UNICEF no problem. But SHe has no dilomatitc training or experience or scholarly underpinnings for such an important position.

[mmonk]

28. You gave yourself away by your reply.

[BlueMTexpat]

33. Yikes ... other than Richard Holbrooke,

none of those in your list of "qualified" people had any relevant experience in foreign relations and policy before being appointed US Ambassador! Bolton, Negroponte and Kirkpatrick are all RW Rethug nutcases/academics who published a lot of total nonsense and were self-styled *experts.* Do PNAC, RW *thinktanks* and Kirkpatrick's comment about US nuns being massacred in El Salvador ring a bell? GHWB's "relevant" experience before being UN Ambassador was taking part in WWII(!) and he only served for five months on his way to *better* things, like CIA director. Danforth's probably the best of the Repubs, but he just serves to illustrate how awful the rest are.
Andy Young's background was in civil rights and activism. I'm not saying that his heart wasn't in the right place, but he wasn't too bright about international political realities and consequences of uncoordinated actions.
There is nothing wrong with Caroline Kennedy as UN Ambassador, if that's what she and Obama want. She exercised excellent judgment and leadership during this recent election, by taking a pro-Obama stand when she did not have to, and is very much her mother's daughter (she tragically didn't have enough time to know her father). As one who was an observer at the time, I know that Jackie certainly had a sense of foreign relations and cultures. Both her children also traveled extensively and learned foreign languages.
Caroline Kennedy also managed Obama's vetting of Veep candidates and, once again, exercised excellent judgment and tact. There is nothing to make me believe that she would not continue to do so in whatever position she would serve, should she so choose.
Are there more "qualified" candidates? Most certainly, if judging only on foreign service credentials and experience (once again, only Holbrooke qualified in that respect). But the bottom line for such a position comes down to which person would have President Obama's confidence and trust, be smart enough to know what s/he doesn't know, and be willing to learn, all the while being discreet and "diplomatic."

[H2O Man]

9. Thank you.

There are always some unhappy people in life.

I noted another thread that made some ugly personal attacks on RFK, Jr.

Nominated.

[lamp_shade]

11. I saw that one too, but only lingered for a few seconds. Unbelievable. n/t

[mmonk]

16. No problem and thanks.

[Joe the Revelator]

12. Wow, people will whine about anything

This post-Obama-victory DU is sucky.

[Misskittycat]

13. It's perfectly legitimate to critique her qualifications for such a key post.

While I like and admire Caroline, I don't think she has either the foreign policy credentials or the personality and temperament for U.N. Ambassador. She is somewhat shy and retiring. In an era when the US will be trying to repair severely damaged relations with much of the world, the job should go to a person with top negotiating and diplomatic skills combined with significant knowledge of international affairs.

[Captain Hilts]

14. Like president, being UN rep is an attitude not a resume. nt

[Misskittycat]

18. I respectfully disagree with your characterization of the UN job.

I don't know how old you are, but I remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. (A good portrayal of those events, including the fear by the Administration that UN Amb. Adlai Stevenson would not be up to the task of facing down the Soviet ambassador in the crucial UN sessions, is the movie "Thirteen Days" starring Bruce Greenwood as JFK. Luckily, Adlai pulled it off, but they were really sweating bullets at the White House.)

A more appropriate symbolic ambassadorship (and reward) would be London. (Caroline's grandfather, Joe Kennedy, was ambassador there in the 1930's.)

[BlueMTexpat]

34. Yes, Adlai was good then.

(I was around then, too.)
And he had relevant administrative and foreign experience, even such as to have been in on the preparations for the fledgling United Nations.
He was a no-brainer choice. But please see my response upthread. Caroline would be fine. After all, there aren't too many Adlai Stevensons left these days.
Caroline would also have the advantage of a lot of residual goodwill. The Kennedys were ... and are ... loved globally and that mystique cannot be discounted.
In the end, it's whatever Obama wants. :hi:

[grantcart]

19. She is shy in front of big crowds but that is not a particularly important part of the UN job

The fact that she is Kennedy's daughter would in fact have considerable pull at the UN - as odd as that seems.

[Misskittycat]

20. Sorry. Still completely disagree.

First, the UN General Assembly (particularly at a time of world crisis) is rather a large crowd.
Second,

Second, (although I don't know Caroline personally, and so have no real basis for opining on this point) I would guess that she doesn't have the "stomach" for tough negotiating. I say this as a lawyer who has no stomach for negotiating, tough or otherwise.

From my 30 years of lawyering observation, there are generally two categories of them: (1) the ones who have the stomach to be trial lawyers; and (2) the ones who don't. If a lawyer is wise, he/she knows which type he/she is.

I am squarely in the second category. The first time I went to court years ago, I wanted to run away and/or throw up. For that reason, I have rarely ventured into court since, although my briefs are in court regularly. (I can argue fiercely on paper, but in person, I'm a marshmallow.)

There's probably a good reason why Caroline writes books on constitutional law instead of taking on a more high-profile, litigator/advocate role like her cousin, Bobby Kennedy, Jr.

Just my 2 cents.

[grantcart]

23. The US ambassador to the UN never addresses the UN General Assembly

There are important discussions at the Security Council.


I don't know how tough a negotiator she is but I did work in the UN system and I can tell you that they are the greatest celebrity whores in the world, and I mean that in complete seriousness.

[Misskittycat]

24. Interesting perspective on the UN, Grantcart, but I still think she wouldn't be

a good fit. Moreover, there are probably others who would be a better fit.

[grantcart]

27. Your probably right but I would just say that if she were to take it she would do a great job

and would surprise many of us.


and that she would be considered a massive improvement over Bolton.



In truth however I would like them to get a professional diplomat - also I would find it a very good message if they simply promoted the most capable diplomat in the State Department. They have suffered 8 years under Bush with terrible morale and it would be the greatest moment in State Department history if we would select an outstanding diplomat -- kind of like the way that we select outstanding generals to serve in high cabinet positions.

[goclark]

25. Hi grantcart ~ I am a big Caroline Kennedy fan

The UN needs a boost and I think she would be just the key.

Classy and intelligent lady.

Just a thought ~ I'm sure that Teddy Kennedy and Barack talked all these things over and if Obama and Teddy think it's great ~ it's great in my book!

[BlueMTexpat]

37. Believe me, "litigating" skills are not what is needed.

The UN is much more about arbitration, a whole different skill set. And yes, grantcart's comment about "celebrity whores," cheeky as it was (and I did like it), is spot on.

[BlueMTexpat]

36. Bingo!

And it's not odd at all. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in North Africa in the '60s, I found that it was not at all uncommon to find pictures of Kennedy (generally torn from one magazine or another) hanging in the most seemingly unlikely places. Kennedy represented the aspirations of a whole continent as new countries were emerging from the respective colonial eras.
Just as Kennedy was murdered, many of those original ideals also fell by the wayside.

[...of J.Temperance]

21. Caroline Kennedy would make a good Ambassador, it's RFK Jr that many have a problem with

Caroline Kennedy would make either a good UN Ambassador or a good Ambassador to the UK, she would be an asset.

Unlike RFK Jr, who's not got the right temperament to be in ANY high-profile position, he's way too off the deep end, he calls people who disagree with him "Nazi's" and he's prone to believing EVERY conspiracy theory going....there's good reason why the Democratic Party has never chosen RFK Jr to run for a high-profile office.

Caroline Kennedy is an asset, RFK Jr is an embarrassment.

[Whisp]

22. I think it is about the primaries and who her uncle endorsed.

and the fact that she is so highly regarded for her integrity and intelligence who just may end up with the UN job, who some here think 'belongs' to Hillary for some odd reason.

can you imagaine Hillary being as diplomatic and tactic toward the worlds representations as she was toward her opponent int he primaries. This is obviously not her calling.

[Beacool]

30. Why would Hillary want to be UN ambassador?

Please........

Hillary can be very diplomatic when she chooses to be so, judging her by the primary where she went against a tough political opponent is not a good comparison.

Personally, It's indifferent to me what position Caroline is offered. Obviously she'll receive some payback for her support of Obama, as is customary.

[No Elephants]

31. She endorsed--very enthusiastically- the same candidate her uncle endorsed.

[ruggerson]

26. There were some here who thought she would have been a good choice for Veep

and there were others who thought that was borderline ridiculous.

[treestar]

29. Only if she is qualified outside of being someone's daughter

Could she have made it as far as she has without her blood relationships? That's the question. I'm not saying all Kennedys are disqualified. But are they on their own? And she has done nothing political and she must be over 50 by now.

[No Elephants]

32. She is a well-respected author. and thinker.

[treestar]

38. Would she have gotten published without her name?

Not saying she wouldn't have, but she had that advantage. And are her accomplishments on par with those who would otherwise get the job?

It sounds like what she has done hasn't got much to do with foreign affairs.

[mmonk]

48. A name can be a blessing or a curse.

[mmonk]

35. Caroline has a JD from Columbia Law School and has written

about law and the Constitution. She is president of the John F. Kennedy Library, founded the Profiles in Courage Award, a director on the Commission of Presidential Debates and the NCAAP Legal Defense Fund.

[dogsandroses]

39. Supreme Court

I've followed DU for years and used to be registered under a
different name, even though this is my first post. I've always
found it to be a goldmine of great information. One of the
reasons I don't post is that what I'm thinking has usually
been discussed to death. 

In this case I think everyone is missing the obvious choice,
and that is she's perfect for the Supreme Court. I think that
this has been Pres. Obama's plan all along. It's probably the
main reason he had her on his vetting committee for VP. He got
to see her use of logic and reason all summer long during that
process. After all, that's what SCJ's do. They take a huge
stack of info and whittle it down to a reasonable choice.
She's perfect for the job. It fits her temperament, her
intellectual and legal skills, and since she has been around
power all her life, the cons on the court will not easily push
her around.

[qwlauren35]

40. Now, THAT is exciting.

I would add that that's the ONLY position I'd like Hillary to have if she was to leave the Senate.

Caroline Kennedy and Hillary Clinton in the Supreme Court would make me EXTREMELY happy.

(BTW, the ONLY reason why I don't want Hillary on the Obama staff is because it's not permanent. The Senate is "virtually" permanent, and the Supreme Court IS permanent. Unless Hillary would rather resign from political life, I want to see her there pretty much "for life".)

[qwlauren35]

41. P.S.

I would be happy to see Obama in the Supreme Court as well. If he were to step down (in his second term) so that Biden could nominate him, I'd be thrilled.

[mmonk]

47. Supreme Court would be great.

[Marrah_G]

42. Because many here want the best person for the job

Not just the best supporter for the job or the best Dem activist for the job.

Obama doesn't need someone who might be great at the job. He needs the BEST our country has to offer.

That in no way disparages her.

In all positions he needs the BEST- not just good- not just Dem- He needs the BEST in whatever field he is picking for.

Otherwise....you end up with Brownie.

[changemonger]

45. Washington experience isn't everything , judgement is .

I guess that's why we voted for Obama.

[Marrah_G]

46. Yes- The judgement to choose the very best for positions

otherwise you end up with horse show judges running FEMA.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

43. Nepotism.

Many of us are against it.

[changemonger]

44. Actually she's a better choice for Sec of state than both Kerry and Richardson

not necessarily more qualified , but it would be a better signal sent by Obama if he appoints her.