Hillary's comments are "ridiculous, a nightmare, and frustrating beyond words"...

[Infinite Hope]

I had been on vacation and didn't see them until now.

"In rather undiplomatic comments, Clinton criticized the White House vetting process as a "nightmare," "frustrating beyond words" and "ridiculous." She added that overly burdensome financial and personal disclosure requirements had led several candidates to withdraw."

In Hillary-speak, she should either learn how to speak like a professional or shut it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31917680/ns/politics-more_politics/

[DrDan]

1. well - I think she is doing a great job

and she is frustrated that the admin does not want to move as fast as she does.

She has a legitimate complaint - and I find it refreshing that the cabinet feels they can speak out. Something missing the past 8 years.

So . . . strongly disagree with your "shut it" suggestion.

[Infinite Hope]

9. I agree that she's doing a great job. But those issues should be addressed in the administration.

Obviously and especially after issues months ago, a thorough vetting process should take place. And if she can't handle that reality, then so be it.

[razorman]

21. Am I alone in this, and paranoid, or does anyone else see

Hillary starting to separate herself from the administration in order to possibly challenge President Obama for the nomination in 2012? That is, of course, if things do not go well for him between now and then.

[Maru Kitteh]

34. The primaries are over. Let. It. Go. For the love of Dog. Let it go.

[JVS]

52. Not her directly, but the DLC/Conservadems are on the march.

Those assholes aren't going to sit still when they think that the republican party's implosion means that conservatives are flooding into the Democratic party.

[charlie]

2. "overly burdensome financial and personal disclosure requirements"

That's just the way things work anymore, isn't it? She doesn't remember her hubby's Zoe Baird --> Kimba Woods --> Janet Reno difficulties?

[LaurenG]

3. I don't really think there is anything wrong with her comments

It's how it works and I'm sure it was frustrating for everyone involved.

[bigwillq]

4. Nothing wrong with her comments.

And nothing wrong with being thorough in the vetting process.

[justiceischeap]

5. Keep her audience in mind as well

She was talking to employees for the department she has had such a difficult time getting someone for. She was explaining, basically, why they didn't have a boss. She was being candid with these people...you know, open government kinda stuff. I'm sure the vetting process is a nightmare and she was being honest about that.

[Infinite Hope]

11. There are better ways to make the point such as explaining rather than criticizing the circumstances

[justiceischeap]

15. If the vetting sucks, it sucks and should be criticized

So it can be changed. If you want ordinary people to serve in any administration, you have to make it appealing for them. Scaring people who know you via the FBI isn't the way to go about it. I understand people need to be vetted but there has GOT to be a better way that's less intrusive.

[lindisfarne]

37. Not publicly by the SOS to criticize the admin, unless the admin is really screwed up. She should be

working internally.
I'm sure there are petty (and not so petty) differences of opinion between Obama staff & Clinton, but she has access to Obama.
Vetting is part of the deal. It's too embarrassing to have the focus on someone who failed to pay taxes for this or another reason, etc. Damage control is expensive in terms of credibility.

[xultar]

35. Maybe, but if the republicans weren't such hypocritical assholes...the process

wouldn't have to be so bad.

Blame the fucking repubs for being such fucking jerks.

[Infinite Hope]

38. Regardless of the GOP, candidates should be vetted and found to be law abiding citizens. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

6. Not a fan of her whining about her boss.

[Captain Hilts]

25. She's not whining about her boss. nt

[xultar]

27. How is it whining about Obama? Seems to me it is more whining about the Repubs

and what the Obama admin has to do to thwart their bullshit attacks.

[get the red out]

7. It is sad what Democrats have to do because of Republican attacks

The sad truth is that the Republicans have a lock on a lot of the media and Democrats have to be extremely careful in vetting people. I understand why the Secretary of State made those remarks, and agree it is a good sign that she felt that she could share that openly.

I remember the hideous lies that the Republican media blasted about her across their Clear Channel airwaves without question for so long. Disgusting. They can call people murderers and Democrats aren't allowed to investigate war crimes. The world we live in because they still have corporate and media power, democracy be damned.

[HamdenRice]

8. I think she's right. Most qualified people are dissuaded from public service.

I had friends that were interested in going to DC to join the first Clinton administration. We had grown up so to speak in college and grad school on stories of DC being flooded by liberals during the New Deal. After 12 years of Reagan/Bush, people wanted to serve.

Then we started hearing from the first few people going through the vetting process for mid level jobs.

The FBI goes around and scares the shit out of everyone you've ever known, for one thing -- as part of the so-called "background check". After that, most people said, "no thanks."

The process is designed to keep the "political class" extremely, extremely small, and to make sure that no one who ever so much as attended, say, a meeting of the democratic socialists of america ever gets anywhere near a federal upper level appointment. Or somehow there's a system in which negative stuff is found out but "saved" for **ahem** later use.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. I Think You Pretty Much Have To Be Rich To Do It

You have to have money, the source has to be clean. If not, you're toast because your privacy is gone, your private business is public business, and the pay isn't worth that sort of scrutiny.
GAC

[charlie]

17. I've seen lists of legal fees

for members of the Clinton administration whose exposure to "scandals" were at best peripheral, and it was stunning. Most of them had mid to high six-figure legal debts.

[Captain Hilts]

26. Yep. And have a good attorney on retainer. Sux. nt

[redqueen]

23. "The process is designed to keep the "political class" extremely, extremely small"

Nail, meet head.

And not just small... but as you said, of the 'right mindset' (i.e. not likely to upset the two-party, not-publicly-financed apple cart).

[Captain Hilts]

24. Sometimes the hammer is right in seeing a nail and striking it. nt

[Infinite Hope]

39. Picking 5 from group A rather than B doesn't change the size.

It changes the makeup, yes, but not the size.

[HamdenRice]

46. It's the size of the pool of potential candidates we are talking about nt

[madrchsod]

10. wow.... what a load of shit from AP....

the hillary bashing talking points are about to begin.

[GodlessBiker]

12. She should speak up about it if that was the case. It is more credible coming...

from someone who successfully made it through than someone who didn't make it and now is sounding like sour grapes.

[babylonsister]

14. Since when should the truth be hidden? Haven't we had enough of that? nt

[xultar]

31. She isn't saying that. The Republican bullshit attacks is what making the process

such a fucking nightmare.

If the repubs wouldn't complain about every goddamned little thing the Obama admin wouldn't have had to make the process so tough.

The lady was running for president for god sake, the vetting process for SOS was more tough than that. That is just plain stupid.

[babylonsister]

33. Hi.

I know she didn't, I was responding to the OP's ridiculous assertions.

[xultar]

36. Yup and get this BROWNIE was head of FEMA. If that shows Repubs are hypocrites

on this shit.

[Infinite Hope]

41. She never said that either. She said the vetting process was ridiculous, period. n/t

[xultar]

42. It is. Think how much Obama is doing verses what Bush did for Brownie @ FEMA.

We have to do it because the republicans are gonna act like utter assholes @ every little point.

[Infinite Hope]

45. It is what? I never said it wasn't the GOP's fault. I simply said that isn't what Clinton said. n/t

[Infinite Hope]

40. What truth? Whether vetting candidates financial records to see if they've paid taxes, in my mind,

is good. Clinton's opinion can be a subjective truth among some, but it certainly is not an objective truth.

[Vinnie From Indy]

16. Your headline is misleading

[msanthrope]

22. Very. n/t

[Infinite Hope]

43. Not really. It's my opinion, only using her words. Just because you disagree doesn't make it

misleading.

[kenfrequed]

18. As much...

As I often had difficulties with Clinton I really don't think this is worthy of a freak out. I think her comments were accurate and apt, though possibly not as well worded as they could have been.

[Infinite Hope]

44. I don't remember seeing anyone freak out. My assertion is no different than yours.

If she's going to be in a position such as hers, she should live up to its professional and statesmanlike level. To date, she has done this with ease. But these comments were poorly chosen.

[Arkana]

19. Um, Hillary, the reason those things are there

is so we can avoid more Daschles.

[xultar]

32. The Daschles thing wasn't even that big of a deal. Blame the REPUBS.

[Infinite Hope]

47. Tell Hillary to blame the Republicans. n/t

[KittyWampus]

20. I don't disagree. The process has gotten out of hand because Republicans have abused it

That said, the more transparency the better.

[xultar]

29. THANK YOU!!! That is exactly what I thought. The process is to thwart Repubs

bullshit attacks.

[kiva]

28. K&U

I realize that this isn't the LBN forum where you need to use the actual headline, but flaming our SOS for 'Hillary-speak' when you bring up a story from last week is silly at best.

[xultar]

30. Your post is so over the top WRONG. The REPUBLICAN attacks made the process

a nightmare.

If it weren't for bullshit republican attacks they wouldn't have had to make the process such a nightmare.

Geez.

[Infinite Hope]

49. Your interpretation of my post is what's wrong. I agree GOP attacks are the problem.

But Hillary didn't criticize the GOP for their attacks. She criticized Obama's vetting process (which by the way there has always been a vetting process regardless of attacks).

[xultar]

51. The only reason the vetting process is a nightmare is because of Republicans....

think about it.

how much vetting could Brownie have gotten? That's the point. When Republicans vet...it's short and sweet cuz they know the Dems aren't going to bitch too much.
We have to go through an exhaustive process because the republicans are going to nit pick shit just to do it. We have to go above and beyond what a republican administration would do to vet. that's what makes it a nightmare.

[blogslut]

48. What a horseshit article

Leave it to the AP. Create a rift where there isn't one.

[hedgehog]

50. When middle class people are getting turned down for jobs because

of bad credit reports (they stopped paying bills when they were laid off), somehow I can't raise much sympathy for someone who can't get a top government position because he paid his maid and nanny cash under the table, thereby avoiding workman's comp and social security taxes.

[JVS]

53. +1