New York Times: "Clinton Decision Holding Up Other Obama Choices"

[ClarkUSA]

Here's an interesting story about how some people who used to work for the Clinton administration will be persona non grata at the State Department if Hillary becomes SoS.

Just under a week after news broke that President-elect Barack Obama met with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss naming her the Secretary of State, Mr. Obama’s aides announced that the job of White House counsel was going to Gregory B. Craig, Mr. Obama’s longtime foreign policy adviser.

Now, wasn’t Mr. Craig supposed to be getting one of the foreign policy jobs, like deputy secretary of state or national security adviser?... The official word out of the Obama camp was that Mr. Craig, who represented Bill Clinton during the House impeachment trial, was always viewed as a natural for White House counsel... But several Obama advisers acknowledged privately that Mr. Craig couldn’t take a foreign policy job if Mrs. Clinton ended up at State — too much animosity and bad history there... Speaking of which: If Mrs. Clinton does not end up at State, then Jim Steinberg, the former deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration, is at the top of the list for the national security adviser job ... Susan Rice, one of the earliest foreign policy advisers to sign on with Mr. Obama, also gets a new lease on life if Mrs. Clinton is out of the running for Secretary of State. Like Mr. Craig, Ms. Rice worked for the Clinton administration, handling Africa policy during the 1990s.

But the two of them formed a tag team to debunk Mrs. Clinton’s claim to foreign policy experience during the campaign.

When 11,000 pages of Mrs. Clinton’s public schedule as first lady were released back in March, Mr. Craig said they showed that Mrs. Clinton was out of the loop when critical foreign policy decisions were made and that her trips abroad were largely ceremonial... “... this was established by the White House schedules, that she did not attend NSC meetings or routinely meet with the Secretary of State or the National Security Adviser,” said Mr. Craig, who was also a senior State Department official during the Clinton administration. “She did not routinely get briefed by the intelligence community, and there is no evidence that she participated or asserted herself in any of the crises that took place during the eight years of the Clinton presidency.”

Ms. Rice, for her part, questioned the link between being First Lady and acquiring foreign policy knowledge. Of course, if Mrs. Clinton doesn’t get the Secretary of State job, Democratic advisers say a whole host of opportunities open back up for all of the Obama foreign policy types who got on her bad side during the primaries.

[Skink]

1. He offered now he has got to move forward.

[ClarkUSA]

3. Really? Give me a solid named source link that says he formally offered the job to Hillary.

:eyes:

[Whisp]

4. I think he offered her a chance to be on the list, that's all.

but thyme will tell, parsley.

[AtomicKitten]

20. thyme - check ..... parsley - check

Added to my Thanksgiving dinner grocery shopping list.

:hi:

[Whisp]

27. don't forget Sage....

heheheheheheh

[PBS Poll-435]

2. Woohoo!

Another "interesting" article!!!























:eyes:

[ClarkUSA]

7. Yes, isn't The New York Times great that way?

Remember, they were the ones who endorsed Hillary during the primaries? :)

[PBS Poll-435]

10. Just another "interesting" twist!

:-)

[ProSense]

5. This is beyond ridiculous. n/t

[karynnj]

6. It is sad that if Obama forgives HRC's attacks

She will not be pushed to do likewise to those that supported Obama. The idea that they foreign policy people are excluded because they supported Obama is really stunning. I don't remember the others, but Susan Rice was fantastic. One condition should be the Clintons drop their grudges.

[blue_onyx]

8. If anyone turns down a job because Hillary is picked for SOS

Then they are too childish to be in the Obama administration. Sometimes you work with people you don't like very much. If Obama wants Hillary and that drives Mr. Craig or Ms. Rice away, so be it. It's their loss.

[qwlauren35]

11. It may be that Senator Clinton would not ALLOW them on HER team.

No telling whether it would be a net win or loss.

[karynnj]

21. I read it to me that HRC wouldn't want them

I think their loss will be bad - especially Susan Rice.

[babylonsister]

9. Mr. Craig already accepted a job.

So what does that mean?

From change.gov:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=7898273

[ClarkUSA]

25. The story explains how he got "the consolation prize" that is his present job.

That's what I got out of reading it, anyway. Makes sense. :shrug:

[ClarkUSA]

26. Dupe n/t

[AtomicKitten]

12. fly in the ointment

[Democrafty]

15. LOL! n/t

[karynnj]

16. God, it's beginning to feel just likethat Cartoon

Obama won 16 days ago, for how many days has the lead story been the Bill and Hillry show? The country has a financial crisis getting worse and we are in two wars - yet every day it is "Will she or Won't she?" After 10 days, it is TOO MUCH.

[AtomicKitten]

17. and some wonder why they are on many peoples' last nerve ... oy!

[karynnj]

19. lol

[jesus_of_suburbia]

13. Ms. Rice and Mr. Craig look like cry babies. I'm sad they won't work for Pres Obama

just because of some grudge against Sen Clinton.

How childish.

[babylonsister]

18. Mr. Craig is HIRED. See post #9. nt

[Marnieworld]

24. I interpreted it the other way

That it was because Clinton would be against them working at State, not because they would be. They just reported facts ie was she present at these meetings? She would have a grudge what would be their grudge? She didn't do anything to them. The last sentence about being "on her bad side" supports this.

[Thrill]

14. Why doesn't Obama take some leadership here and just move on from Clinton

I'm not sure why he wants to play this game with them? Its beyond weird.

One of them needs to shit or get off the pot

[BlooInBloo]

22. Clinton = All drama, all the time.

[political_Dem]

23. Thank you for this article.

No one seems to bring up Mrs. Clinton's public schedule as First Lady. Instead, people rely on polls (based on the opinions of one thousand people or more on LAN lines) to say that this is a good pick.