Obama is Going to Regret Making Hillary SOS

[Bullet1987]

This will give the MSM all the excuse they need to sideline the problems this country faces to talk about some Clinton mess. Both Richardson and Kerry are just as qualified as Hillary is...and come with much less baggage. I think it's time many on DU accept that Obama is NOT going to be mistake-free for 4 years. He will make mistakes in his appointments as all Presidents do...and I think this will be one of them.

[babylonsister]

1. I refuse to second guess any decisions PE Obama makes, and suggest

he might know a whole lot more about what he has in mind for a cabinet and how it will work than any of us do.

[iamthebandfanman]

13. im sure that was the sentiment of republicans

about bush the last 7 years.

[babylonsister]

19. I wouldn't know. What I do know is I'm totally impressed with the

way this seems to be coming together, for Obama and us. We shall see, but there's no way in hell the next admin will compare to the current one, and I mean that in a very positive way.

[iamthebandfanman]

24. thats a given,

that they wont be comparable...

just stating that kind of blind follower mentality is something we should be above. if i dont like something, ill let it be known. bush is a complete moron, but yet most republicans took the 'he knows more than me' mentality...
that kinda complacency can lead to bad things...

ill always question the intentions of my government, no matter whos in charge. its our duty as citizens. if we dont keep politicians in check, who will?
obviously obama is smarter than me, but intelligence doesnt always equal doing the right thing or having good intentions.. thats all. some of the most intelligent people in the world are just as sneaky and backwards as any no brained imbred... only the smart people know how to get away with it and are less likely to be caught or called out...

frankly tho, people should probably wait until the mans in office before they start attacking. gotta wait and see how this is really going to go before making an opinion.

[babylonsister]

28. I think it's fruitless at this point to criticize, because no one is

listening and also because the people who will be selected haven't had a chance to prove themselves. So I'm not going to criticize now. But I will when it's warranted, when they do something I don't get or approve of.

So I wait also.

I had a 'friend' who told me 7 years ago, 'he's our president, we have to agree with him.' We no longer communicate because my mind isn't wired that way.

[bdamomma]

23. exactly, he knows alot more about appointments than we do.

or who's qualified and who's not. Jeesh, the official announcement has not even been made.

Maybe Hillary will realize the Senate is the place that she would be more effective in.

[onehandle]

2. Pick up the phone.

I'm sure Obama is waiting for your call.

[No Elephants]

16. Well, Obama does have several websites with a "contact us" feature.

[WCGreen]

3. They really aren't...

HRC comes with the capacity to speak to countries over the heads of the leadership.

Name more than a handfull of countries where the people would atually stop and listen to what John Kerry or Bill Richardson would say.

[politicasista]

8. Who was it that went to Europe a week before Obama's trip?

It wasn't HRC. Foreign leaders actually like Kerry. Not because he wasn't Bush, but because he is Kerry. And Richardson has negotiating skills.

[WCGreen]

17. The people in the country will instanly pay attention to what HRC

has to say. She can, as Richard Wolfe pointed out last night on Countdown, talk over the heads of state to the people. Neither Kerry or Richardson has that kind of populist appeal.

[politicasista]

18. Foreign leaders will pay attention to them all

period. I don't know why people feel the need to downplay other people and their FP experience just to praise Hillary. It doesn't make her look good.

[WCGreen]

26. I didn't say foreign leaders...

I said the people of the particular country she would be visiting on diplomatic missions.

I have deep respect for Richardson and Kerry but they aren't as well known around the world as HRC.

There are two components to good foreign policy. What you can accomplish one on one with the leadership and the message that you can convey to the general population.

[politicasista]

31. We shall see

I am not going to question Obama because he hasn't been sworn in yet. :), but I hope he will remember who was there for him, even when it was a risky thing to do.

Obama has played the media like a fiddle, so it's possible he knows that HRC will be good for him.

No concern. :)

[Mass]

42. So, you mean we need to ignore the legitimately elected leaders of these countries.

Sorry, but this is NOT my idea of foreign policy. BTW, the message you carry to the people needs to be carried by the president. No Secretary of State will matter.

[bdamomma]

25. not to be rude

but do you think the Saudis will listen to Hillary a woman?

[WCGreen]

27. Of course...

[bdamomma]

30. don't Saudi men have a low opinion about women?

[WCGreen]

35. Well, they dealt with Madeline Albright and Rice so I can't see

why they wouldn't deal with HRC

[jrockford]

32. I can think of a few that couldn't care less what HRC has to say, with her pro-Israel stance and all

and it isn't simply a handful.

But what's good for Israel is good for America, right?

[karynnj]

33. Kerry has been on SFRC for 24 years

He actually has spoken to many of the leaders, especially in the middle and near east - leaders, HRC has spoken to less. The fact is that Kerry has given thoughtful speeches on foreign policy since he was in college. Madeline Albright in a book written 2 or so years ago on her current ideas in foreign policy chose to include John Kerry's 1966 Yale speech. The excerpt was fascinating as it is very consistent with Kerry's 2008 views, though less mature. If you want to make foreign policy insight an issue - There are any number of Kerry speeches (and bills and resolutions) I can post that are far better than HRC's. Gates' terrorism memo is very close to Kerry's 2004 positions - which he actually wrote of in 2001. Baker/Hamilton (ISG) took more from Kerry's recommendations to them than anyone else. (HRC moved to Kerry's Iraq position 7 or so months after calling it cut and run. Then she spent the last year parotting his words about how a deadline would help.)

The big difference is that Kerry can also be a key ally in the Senate where he is very well positioned - while HRC doesn't have enough seniority and hasn't really led on any issue in the Senate. It may be that Kerry can accomplish more for the country and Obama in the Senate. Here are two major initiatives that Kerry just introduced in teh Senate within the last week.
1) A FDR style project to stimulate the economy by drastically improving rail transportation - http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/11/kerry_pushes_hi.html (This has gotten press over the last half year as he or other people interested have spoken to the media.
2) A Small business stimulus package - http://sbc.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=305070

Many Kerry provisions were passed in the Banking bill passed this summer - in addition to other bills for veterans and smal business.

In contrast - the most recent legislation HRC sponsored was a bill that declared a "Purple Hearts Day" and a resolution to go with it that honored purple heart recipients. That was from April.


From the Senate, Kerry, as head of SFRC with Obama as President, will have a voice in foreign policy, as of course, Joe Biden will. It may well be both of these people will be more influential in actually defining the policy than Clinton.

All I know is that there are far more stories out there of Kerry being able to broker compromises than there are of HRC doing so.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Come On!

Please have one!

[TwilightGardener]

5. My biggest problems with her are her lack of good management and diplomacy skills--

she seems to have terminal problems with that--and the fact that she never had a cohesive foreign policy vision, she just absorbed the hawkish tough-guy crap that her adivsors fed her over the years to improve her chances of being elected President.

[tekisui]

6. Like the M$M needs any excuse to sideline problems.

They always go to tabloid news over what matters. If it wasn't Hillary, it woud be something else.

[blue_onyx]

7. I believe if Hillary is picked for SOS

that she will do a great job and surprise many people on DU...just like she surprised them with how hard she worked to get Obama elected.

[Skwmom]

44. Well it doesn't seem like she worked hard for nothing.

The State Department isn't chump change and she might not be VP but her good buddy is.

[cali]

9. LOL! Duers crack me up.

particularly those who delusionally believe they have crystal balls.

[DCBob]

10. Well you certainly have sidelined the problems this country is facing..

to talk about this supposed "Clinton mess".

[Montauk6]

11. Does anyone here honestly believe that Obama will be error-proof???

C'monnnn, DU, overall, is brighter than THAT!

[JuniperLea]

12. Your concern is duly noted... eom

[Cha]

14. I think Obama has won this thing and

is planning on continuing doing his job in spite of the corporatemediawhore$$. We need reform..they'll never stop their shit on their own.

[xultar]

15. rofl.

[LostinVA]

20. This is just like performance art

[chieftain]

21. The corporate media is going to obsess on the Clintons whether

she is SOS or in the Senate. I am not thrilled by this choice because of her vote on IWR and bellicosity toward Iran. That said, Obama will be directing the strategy in foreign affairs and I would rather have both Clintons having a stake in the success of the Obama presidency rather than having a platform to snipe with no responsibility. One final thing, I think she is up to the task.
I was very fond of her going into the Primaries, mad as hell at her during the primaries and appreciative of her all out commitment to Barack in the general. I think Barack and Hillary have earned enough respect from us to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[customerserviceguy]

22. I would imagine Bill Clinton has a lot of friends around the world

the biggest problem that Hillary might have is that some world leaders might rather talk to him than to her when they travel overseas on diplomatic missions for the White House. It was a concern raised when Hillary was a candidate for the Presidency and the VP slot, and it would certainly have an impact on the Obama Presidency.

I have to wonder what he was thinking when he made this pick.

[gmudem]

29. I have this feeling too.

I want to trust Obama but I just cannot comprehend why he chose Hillary over John Kerry. I can't think of any sensible reason for it.

[rvablue]

34. With all due respect, has anyone who supports Kerry for SoS

which I don't think is a bad idea....I could definitely get behind...I voted for him for POTUS after all.....

But has any considered that maybe Teresa Heinz Kerry did not want to go through the vetting process that would have been required.

All this talk of Bill and not a one brings her up. Maybe she didn't want to divulge every single detail of her financial and philanthropic life. And if you try to come and say she already went through that in 2004, I'm sorry to say, but she didn't..............

[joshcryer]

36. Yeah, because Hillary's first 6 years as a Senator were really filled with drama.

Here's a hint: it wasn't.

[BootinUp]

37. No shit, the campaign is over people. nt

[LostinVA]

38. Exactly -- she's been effective and hard hitting and a Party loyalist

[tigereye]

39. what mess?

How much mess does a SOS usually cause (well excluding Powell and Condi) They do what the Pres indicates they should do - and if you support Obama and his policies that shouldn't be a problem.


The media is a mess, not the potential nom. Besides all Presidents make mistakes... :shrug:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

40. This concerns me as well, but it's a moot point now.

[LanternWaste]

41. Wouldn't prudence dictate we...

Wouldn't prudence dictate we wait for actual consequences prior to passing judgments on what Pres. Obama will or will nor regret?

"FDR is going to RUE THE DAY he picked Ickes..." was probably said too.

[LostinVA]

43. But that's RATIONAL and ADULT

[anonymous171]

45. That's good actually. Remember how much Bush got done when the MSM wasn't paying attention?