24 November 2008

But, Seriously ...

What exactly is the justification for making Hillary Secretary of State? All the commentary I've read has been about the domestic politics of it all, but what exactly is Obama going to say to justify turning State over to Hillary? Does she have any relevant experience? Was he not paying attention during the whole Bullets in Bosnia fiasco? Remember when she went to the UN conference on the year of the woman and, um, er, did ... something, maybe?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

He made a mistake picking Biden over her for VP ... Now he's trying to do a make-up.

David said...

Is it a mistake if it didn't matter?

In any event, my question isn't "why is he doing it?" My question is, what words can he put together into recognizable English sentences that are (a) not transparently false and (b) make the case the Hillary has relevant experience?

Anonymous said...

Well, (b) is a little tough, but for (a) he can say she brings "hope and change." Or at least change.

Anonymous said...

But, seriously, ... From my point of view she's a much better appointment than his main alternatives, his academic "foreign policy advisers" like Susan Rice, who are radical leftists all. At least Hillary will want to please the American people and therefore will be slow to betray Israel, Iraq, or other allies. So he could plausibly say, "I wanted a moderate, and she was more moderate than any of the alternatives."

Anonymous said...

Here's my theory: Ted Kennedy wants her out of the Senate so she won't interfere with his own health care nationalization project. Obama cares far more about domestic policy than foreign matters, so he's willing to give State to Hillary if it gets her out of the legislature and makes it easier to shape the domestic policies that he thinks will be his legacy the way that the New Deal is for FDR. Besides, it doesn't matter who the Secretary of State is--Russia is going to invade Georgia, Syria is going to reoccupy Lebanon, Iran is going to get nukes--no one can stop these and worse from happening in the immediate future.

Anonymous said...

Maybe she can see Canada fron her house.

Ali said...

She knows a lot of people in different countries, I guess.

Harry Eagar said...

She could hardly do worse than the other Rice. Or the guy before her.

I am now hearing grumbling that O's Cabinet is shaping up as not diverse enough, skin color-wise.

Shoot, if skin color is the principal criterion, there are tens of millions of people as unqualified as Clinton, Rice and . . . heck, I cannot remember the last secretary of state who seemed to know what he was doing.

You know what's really scary? There's a James A. Baker school to train future diplomats somewhere in the wilds of east Texas.