OK... who here would like a million dollar bank loan without getting a credit check?

[zulchzulu]

It appears that some people think the Clintons don't need to be vetted for positions in the Obama administration. If Hillary Clinton wants a position, she (and as the rules go) and Bill would have to be vetted and checked for any possible conflicts of interest, etc.

To say they already had their backgrounds vetted is EXACTLY like someone going into a bank and asking for a million dollar loan and demanding that their credit record not be checked.

You want the loan, you get checked. You want the gig, you get checked.

Game. Set. Match. Period.

[onehandle]

1. Obama wouldn't have offered this if there was going to be any problems.

Game. Set. Match. Period.

[babylonsister]

2. What has been offered? Pray tell, because I have no clue. nt

[onehandle]

3. Uh... Secretary of State.

Officials: Obama Offered Clinton Secretary Of State

President-elect Barack Obama offered Sen. Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State during their meeting Thursday in Chicago, according to two senior Democratic officials. She requested time to consider the offer, the officials said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/14/clinton-met-with-obama-ab_n_143810.html

[ErinBerin84]

4. other reports have not gone as far as saying that though.

[onehandle]

5. The New York Times says she's being vetted.

It ain't for White House puppy wrangler.

[ErinBerin84]

6. yes, but I guess it's just

the difference between whether an official offer was "implicit or explicit" as Andrea said, who claims if there was any offer it was implicit and not a done deal yet. And they are still meeting with people, but Clinton is under consideration and I'm sure the others are being vetted as well. Other news organizations have not gone as far as what the Huffington Post reports, even if they say that Clinton may be a top choice, etc.

[vanderBeth]

8. Yeah, we also know Bill Richardson is to.

[babylonsister]

7. Baloney...

who were the senior officials?

Then there's this from the NYT, sort of:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7878557&mesg_id=7878591

[onehandle]

9. Doesn't mean it wasn't offered.

Just means a lot of people are whispering.

Either way, we'll know soon.

[babylonsister]

10. And Bill? Whatever.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7876913#7876931

[Life Long Dem]

14. No position was offered by Obama

Purposely spreading lies on this since last Thursday.

[onehandle]

20. Who is spreading lies?

The Huffington Post? Obama staffers?

Who's lying?

[acmavm]

22. Oh, did Obama tell you that? Let me know the next time you're

gonna talk to him. I have a couple of questions you can have him answer for me.

[KittyWampus]

11. there is zero evidence he offered it.

[AtomicKitten]

12. All kinds of news organizations have tried digging into the Clinton Libratory donors to no avail.

Open access is the price I doubt very seriously the Clintons are willing to pay, and their bullyboy politics of insisting they've already been vetted isn't going to float.

[zulchzulu]

13. What I want to know...

...besides HI AK!!!...

... is why the Clintons would want to risk embarrassments and possible scandals within the new Obama administration by not going through a simple vetting process like everyone else who has applied for positions or were asked?

Why hide?

:shrug:

[BzaDem]

16. Because part of what allows the Clinton foundation to be so effective is anonymous donations...

[AtomicKitten]

23. they don't intend to risk embarrassment

btw :hi:

The Clintons as argued by their ardent fan club here at DU are above being vetting doncha know? It's a magic trick. They create a dust storm around the issue, wave their arms around to distract, and then insist she was offered the job and already vetted, just give her the damn job dammit.

It's yet another page from the sorry Clinton novella.

[BzaDem]

15. Bad analogy.

We are talking about public figures who have been in the limelight for decades. Not the same thing as a faceless name with no previous relationship with a bank.

[zulchzulu]

18. No... good analogy

Even if you have been with a bank for a long time, if you apply for a large loan, do you think the bank doesn't fire up your credit history to see if you are legit?

You want a large loan? You go through the steps.

You want a very high-level position in a presidential administration? You go through the steps.

You don't want to go through the steps? It is assumed you are either hiding something or don't think your credibility will be measured successfully.

[Orsino]

17. The Clintons already have been vetted.

I have no doubt that the Obama campaign did its oppo research. While the President-Elect might want to take a personal hand it whatever proctoscopy remains to be done, I don't think what's going on now is actually "vetting" in the usual sense of the word. Obama simply wants to ensure that Clinton's vision for the Department of State is consistent with his own, to whatever degree is appropriate for the "team of rivals" he seems to be trying to put together.

This may be the first time the two have had some quiet time to sit down as President-Elect and prospective Secretary of State.

[zulchzulu]

19. There should be no problem getting vetted again then, right?

If they have been vetted before, then getting vetted again should not be a problem at all. Why would anyone be worried that getting vetted again will somehow be a bad thing?

:shrug:

[Orsino]

21. I wouldn't think so.

Bill Press was on the radio this morning assuring us that Clinton wouldn't have made the pilgrimage to Chicago, nor would Obama have invited her, were this not already a done deal. I dunno about that, but I am sure that Obama is aware of how quickly he needs to get a good team in place. They will have to hit the ground running in January. What possible vetting could be done that hasn't happened several times before, and who could be spared to do it? :shrug:

I think that their meeting was the last we'll hear of vetting, but what do I know? I think that Obama's already proven that he's smarter than I am.