According to Obama aides, Hillary Clinton is going to be selected as Obama's Secretary of State. Let's get one thing straight: I think Hillary Clinton is great. I've been to a rally of hers, and I would have been happy with either Clinton or Obama as president. I admire Obama's pledge to make a Lincoln-esque cabinet full of both friends and rivals. But I'm wondering if Clinton should be the new Secretary of State.
As you may know, the Secretary of State is the head of foreign policy. And if you had watched the primary debates and speeches, foreign policy is one of the few things that Obama and Clinton did not agree on. Obama was elected under a promise to talk with our enemies, compromise in order to progress, and promote a better image of America on the world stage. But Hillary Clinton, aside from all of her virtues, is not a compromiser. We saw this when she refused to drop out of the race, potentially hurting Obama in the general election. Her health care plan as First Lady never worked because she would not budge on her points. She voted “yes” to give Bush the power to invade Iraq. As Secretary of State, will she carry out the goals of Obama, or will she go contrary to his messages of understanding and compromise?
In respect to Obama's selection of rivals rather than yes-men, I think that it applies to most but not all cabinet positions. Should Obama really want someone who disagrees with him to be representing the United States to the world? Most of the other jobs are more about decision-making rather than representation, such as the Secretary of Education or Labor. Obama could easily override their decisions if he felt they would hurt the country. But the Secretary of State meets with representatives of other nations, and could hurt our image with her uncompromising and strong personality. Maybe she will be a good Secretary of State, as she will have to stay in Obama's favor in order to keep from being dismissed. Hopefully she will serve the country, not her own political aspirations.
My best wishes go out to Hillary Clinton, and I hope that Obama is making the right choice. But I suppose we will see next year whether Clinton will serve Obama or follow her own view of how foreign policy should be carried out.
What do you think of Obama's newest pick? Feel free to leave a comment or email me.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?
Posted by Sam at 12:23 PM
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1 comments:
I think that Hillary will be an excellent Secretary of State. She is known and respected around the world from her husband's presidency, and she will support the democratic foreign policy agenda of negotiation. Who she talks to isn't really up to her: she'll talk to whoever Obama needs her to talk to. And there is no telling whether it would be Hillary or someone below her (or Obama) who would talk to our "enemies". We don't know HOW she'll be used. But regardless, she is more than prepared for the position.
My concern is the vacancy she will be leaving in the Senate. Other than Ted Kennedy, there is no one overly aggressive in the Senate to tackle many legislative issues. And as we know, Gravel is gone, so.. :)
But honestly, If Hillary leaves, there will be a lack of aggressive, overt leadership in the Senate. Sure, people like Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid will continue to be "leaders", but when it comes to the tide-changers, with Hillary moving on and Ted retiring, there is going to be a void. My only hope is that some new leaders emerge in the Senate to aggressively push on the Democratic agenda without all the direction coming from the White House.
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