Hillary on the Sidelines
Accurate yet not surprising:
There is little doubt that Hillary Clinton’s star has significantly waned since January. Hugely overshadowed by a White House that dominates US foreign policy, the former first lady rarely makes headlines on policy questions. She has gone from fiery senator and presidential contender to increasingly marginalized run of the mill bureaucrat.
Of course Hillary has been marginalised - why else would Obama have made her Secretary of State? He is an interventionist, energetic young President. He leads policy in his administration - domestic and foreign. The various secretaries and other Cabinet members are there because the Constitution demands it; not as policy leaders.
Obama knew that Hillary's vanity meant she wouldn't be able to resist the position of Secretary of State, but also knew that by tying her so closely to his administration she would have to be loyal to him, and couldn't set herself up as a potential rival for the Democratic nomination in 2012. Of course he didn't offer it to Clinton because he likes or respects her - the Clinton v. Obama primary battle was arguably even more bitter than the General Election campaign against McCain. No, Obama made her Secretary of State because, for all his flaws, he is a savvy political operator. He's using the age-old advice of "keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer."
In fact, he did something similar to Smilin' Joe Biden when he offered him the Vice-Presidency. Two of the leading lights of the Democratic party are now part of the Obama administration - they cannot oppose him or run against him without destroying their own careers by appearing disloyal.
As I've noted on several occasions, the Republican Party doesn't seem able to offer a credible alternative to Obama. And Obama has managed to neutralise many of the potential Democratic alternatives who haven't managed to neutralise themselves. At this rate, he is going to coast to renomination and re-election in 2012.
So of course Hillary Clinton has been marginalised. She became Secretary of State precisely so she could become a footnote in the history of the Obama Administration. It is what he had planned for her from the moment she accepted the job.
Labels: Biden, Clinton, Obama, Republican, Secretary of State
posted by The Nameless Libertarian @ 10:46 am
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Indeed- say what you like about Obama's agenda, but he is a fucking mint politician.
Rather than mocking him for having been a community organiser, Republicans should have looked at exactly what lessons he learned in that hard school. He knows how to play one faction against another, how to head off a rival, how to gain the support of whoever it is, when & how to knife someone in the back, just about everything.
This is why he is tormenting Republicans, something I feel uncomfortable with as I've learnt the hard way that a nation needs a good solid opposition if it is going to have anything approaching a good government. I do, however, support giving them a kicking in 2010 & 2012 so they can regroup around sensible ideas.
Clinton has still, in my view, got quite good prospects for the top job. I envisage Obama being a game-changed & the Republicans still not knowing how to deal with the landscape he creates, so it could be the Dems again in 2016, & why not her?
She is certainly a woman of formidable intelligence.
By "politician" I mean political operator. Not saying owt about his policies.
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