President-elect Barack Obama met Thursday with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) at his transition headquarters in Chicago as a growing chorus of advisers pushes her for secretary of state.
This would give him a “Team of Rivals” Cabinet that would allow him to focus on the domestic economy while Clinton traveled the world to shore up America’s image with allies.
A clue to the secret visit was contained in a note last night from the protective pool of journalists who follow Obama: “Several minutes before President-elect Obama's motorcade emerged from the basement garage beneath his transition headquarters, another unidentified motorcade of approximately three SUVs left the garage.”
Several officials described the visit to Politico on Friday.
Clinton said during her primary campaign against Obama that she was running, in part, to “restore America's standing in the world,” and she may get her chance to try. Several key Obama transition advisers argue that she would be “force multiplier” for the administration on the global stage.
Among those who like the idea: Bill Daley, an Obama adviser who was commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton.
With rumors swirling that she might join the Cabinet, Clinton said Monday night on the red carpet at Carnegie Hall in New York at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards: "I am happy being a senator from New York; I love this state and this city. I am looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do. But I want to be a good partner and I want to do everything I can to make sure his agenda is going to be successful."
Clinton plans to remain coy. She had an event in Albany, N.Y., on Friday but did not plan to answer questions.
The president-elect already has shown signs of valuing proven competence over longtime loyalty, diversity or interest-group wish lists.
“If you want to avoid an early stumble — and he just can’t afford them, for a million reasons — he’s got to have people who know what they’re doing,” a well-plugged-in Democrat explained.
One explanation for Obama’s willingness to consider Clinton for chief diplomat can be found in a January interview he gave to Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News.” As part of her “Primary Questions” series, Couric asked him what books besides the Bible he would consider essential if he were elected president.
“Doris Kearns Goodwin's book ‘Team of Rivals,’” Obama replied. “It was a biography of Lincoln. And she talks about Lincoln's capacity to bring opponents of his and people who have run against him in his cabinet. And he was confident enough to be willing to have these dissenting voices and confident enough to listen to the American people and push them outside of their comfort zone. And I think that part of what I want to do as president is push Americans a little bit outside of their comfort zone. It's a remarkable study in leadership.”
The once-laughable idea is plausible now in part because Obama is exceedingly confident now, in a way that only someone elected to the presidency of the United States can be. “He doesn’t need anybody right now — he’s on the cusp of becoming a world historic figure,” one adviser said. “This is a much different calculation [than picking a running mate]. He is completely and totally in the driver’s seat.” And during the general election, she campaigned tirelessly on his behalf throughout the country.
Even officials who like the idea threw up strong “caution” flags. Fresh off his electoral triumph, Obama does not feel he needs the Clintons. The president-elect has never liked the idea of Bill Clinton as a back-seat driver. The former president has had many tangled foreign business dealings that could complicate his wife’s entry into an administration that is promising transparency. And at most a few people, none of whom are talking, know what Obama really thinks about all this.
But some Obama advisers argue that Hillary Clinton would be an ideal fit if Obama concludes that he will have to focus his early days in office on the domestic economy, and will have to essentially outsource heavy-duty foreign travel to his secretary of state. Her celebrity and credibility would be a huge asset in his goal of reengaging the United States with allies. “You can send out John Kerry or Chuck Hagel,” said one adviser, mentioning some other candidates for secretary of state. “Sending Hillary Clinton out is better.”
The officials said Clinton becomes even more attractive if Obama retains President Bush’s last secretary of defense, Robert Gates. Some Obama advisers are advocated that course because he would provide cover for drawing down troops in Iraq: Gates has said he believes that is possible, and it would keep Obama out of a fight he can’t afford with Army Gen. David Petraeus, now the head of the U.S. Central Command.
An Obama adviser threw out one final rationale: It’s better to have the Clintons inside the tent than outside, causing trouble.
The Clinton camp refused to comment on the possibility. Senior Adviser Philippe Reines said: “Any speculation about Cabinet or other administration appointments is really for President-elect Obama's transition team to address.”
No comments:
Post a Comment