Is Hillary really the best choice for Secretary of State?
The Secretary of State is a diplomat; Hillary is a politician! The SOS is viewed in diplomatic acircles as the voice of the President when negotiating. As a diplomat the SOS must be perceived as having the President’s backing. Foreign leaders are fully aware of all that has transpired between them as rivals in the debates. The world will be watching. Everyone knows what her real desires for the future is. Don’t we need a diplomat rather than a politician for the important job of Secretary of State?

Mr No Name's anonymous gambit might be credible were s/he to proffer an alternative.

"Everyone knows" Hillary's "real desires for the future"? What, praytell, are they? If she wishes to become President, the Secretary of State sits way down the list of succession, behind the ambitious Joe Biden, fellow female Nancy Pelosi, & doddering Robert Byrd. IIRC the last Secretary of State elected President was James Buchanan. The days of Tom Jefferson & John Quincy Adams wheedling their way from the State Department to the White House are long gone.

...but has never been tried with the wiles and guiles of a Clinton!!--

quote:

Originally posted by OBSERVER:
...but has never been tried with the wiles and guiles of a Clinton!!--

The last Clinton I remember reaching a position-of-convenience w/ a President was George Clinton. No, not the founder/leader of Parliament/Funkadelic, but a New Yorker like Hillary who stepped in where Aaron Burr left off & consolidated the Virginia Dynasty of Jefferson/Madison/Monroe's reign during the Era of Good Feelings.

Clinton's "wiles & guiles" resulted in his merely becoming the first Veep to serve two different Presidents & die in office, not any further ambition. Being the Governor of New York (or even a junior Senator in Bobby Kennedy's seat as Hillary has been) is a more powerful position than the Vice-President. We'll have to wait & see what power Hillary possesses serving at President Obama's pleasure, but don't expect any "I'm in control here" statements from her as we heard when General Alexander Haig tried to take over President Reagan's position the day Reagan was shot.

I'm talking about the here and now not past history. Foreign leaders are not asleep at the wheel. They will quickly detect when Hillary is talking to them pushing her agenda or if she is acting as the voice of the president. They quickly will decide whether she is speaking for the White House or not.

You aren't so naive as to believe she is not thinking 4 or 8 years down the road with her every action. As someone recently said when appointing your cabinet you don't want a team of rivals.

quote:

Originally posted by Jethro Bodine:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by OBSERVER:
...but has never been tried with the wiles and guiles of a Clinton!!--

The last Clinton I remember reaching a position-of-convenience w/ a President was George Clinton.
__________________________________________________That's a big laugh. The most recent Clinton to reach a "position" of convenience w/a President was a woman named Hillary Clinton. I don't believe it was a position of "love", do you?

Bill's decided to cooperate in order to get her appointed and out of the country. Party with cigars and all every night at the Clinton mansion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mr. No Name,

We could certainly do worse...

Why not appoint Soon-To-Be-Former-President George W. Bush; his ability develop and initiate goodwill among nations is about as useful as a lead parachute.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. No Name:
I'm talking about the here and now not past history.

So even Ronald Reagan & General Alexander Haig's over-anxious "I'm in control here" are past history? It must be hard to base your entire worldview on the events of the past few months, Mr No Name. And frustrating, for a blind believer in Bushonomics.

quote:

As someone recently said when appointing your cabinet you don't want a team of rivals.

That "someone" was Thomas Friedman in the following thread -- http://community.cnhi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/17310826/m...611091561#1611091561

Unfortunately, that thread was derailed by jb399's petulant plaint against Gore Vidal. The point we made then was that Honest Abe Lincoln's assembling a Team of Rivals was a masterstroke of his Presidency, & that Ol' Obama is intelligently following the example of his fellow Illinoisan who preserved our Union.

quote:

Originally posted by Jethro Bodine:

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. No Name:
I'm talking about the here and now not past history.

So even Ronald Reagan & General Alexander Haig's over-anxious "I'm in control here" are past history? It must be hard to base your entire worldview on the events of the past few months, Mr No Name. And frustrating, for a blind believer in Bushonomics.

quote:

As someone recently said when appointing your cabinet you don't want a team of rivals.

That "someone" was Thomas Friedman in the following thread -- http://community.cnhi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/17310826/m...611091561#1611091561

Unfortunately, that thread was derailed by jb399's petulant plaint against Gore Vidal. The point we made then was that Honest Abe Lincoln's assembling a Team of Rivals was a masterstroke of his Presidency, & that Ol' Obama is intelligently following the example of his fellow Illinoisan who preserved our Union.

But Abe wasn''t dealing with the likes of Win at Any Costs Hillary when picking his cabinet. ONce again that was then and this is now.
Not long ago you're battle cry was No more McSame; we must break the cycle of Bush, Clinton, Bush dynasties; what changed your mind?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mr. No Name,

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. No Name:
But Abe was dealing with the likes of Win at Any Costs Hillary when picking his cabinet. ONce again that was then and this is now.

I reckon you meant to say Lincoln was not dealing w/ politicians as tough as Hillary when the Great Emancipator picked his Cabinet. Before becoming Secretary of State William Seward had been Governor of New York as well as a Senator for longer than Hillary has represented that state. His toughness took him to buying Alaska despite near-universal ridicule of the "icebox." His Cabinet colleagues & other Radical Republicans nearly impeached President Johnson, a show of strength Hillary wouldn't dare attempt. His career showed the survival instinct necessary to navigate between the old Whig divisions of Know-Nothingism & Free-Soiling.

Seward also survived an assassin's knifing in his own bedroom the night Booth shot Lincoln. He was younger upon becoming Secretary of State than Hillary is now.

William Seward was at least as tough as Hillary Clinton. Yet he, like his fellow New York Senator, was foiled by a commonsense Illinoisan whose heartland values traditionally ring truer to the average American than a fast-talking fancy-pants East Coaster. This despite both Seward & Hillary's status as "inevitable" front-runners for their party's nomination. New Yorkers get tripped up in their own vanity all the time. Remember former front-runner Rudy Giuliani?

quote:

Not long ago you're battle cry was No more McSame; we must break the cycle of Bush, Clinton, Bush dynasties; what changed your mind?

Nothing a-tall. Our national nightmare of Bush/Clinton/Bush tweedledee/tweedledum nonsense is finally over. Obama's calling the shots in this new world order. If Hillary Clinton so much as hints that she's another Alexander Haig, she'll be bounced out of Washington as surely as Haig was once Reagan regained his health after the near-assassination. Sorry for the "ancient history," but Haig's the last rogue Sec'y of State our nation's seen for comparison to Clinton as you've depicted her in this thread.

quote:

Originally posted by Jethro Bodine:

Nothing a-tall. Our national nightmare of Bush/Clinton/Bush tweedledee/tweedledum nonsense is finally over. Obama's calling the shots in this new world order. If Hillary Clinton so much as hints that she's another Alexander Haig, she'll be bounced out of Washington as surely as Haig was once Reagan regained his health after the near-assassination. Sorry for the "ancient history," but Haig's the last rogue Sec'y of State our nation's seen for comparison to Clinton as you've depicted her in this thread.

The national nightmare is over due to the President-elect taking over? How so? He has yet to take office, so do you really know how his initiatives will pan out?

TweedleDee, TweedleDum
Your zeal can be matched
By no single one

Pie in the sky
Head held high
Here comes your mother
With those two little guys

quote:

Originally posted by NurseCat:
TweedleDee, TweedleDum

Yep, that’s what Bubba Bill, Slick Willie, Clinton is whistling (see picture below). Can you imagine all the women Bubba Bill will attempt to bed once Hillary is out of country meeting world leaders as Secretary of State? After Hillary becomes Secretary of State, Bubba Bill will become Viagra’s best customer.

The answer to the beginning question -- is in a question -- -- Is Obama the best we can do for President?

quote:

Originally posted by OBSERVER:
The answer to the beginning question -- is in a question -- -- Is Obama the best we can do for President?

And the answer to your Q, OBSERVER, is Yes! Obama is the best America can do for a President. Palin will have to cool off for a few years in Alaska. Do you really think an Alaskan understands what they contemptuously call FlyOver Country well enough to lead all the cowboys & hippies & Latinos & the Yanks that make up our great nation?

To paraphrase Charlie Daniels, Obama's gonna put our feet back on the path of righteousness & then God Bless America again.

You must remember -- Early I said that NONE of the "39- " choices we had to work with was who I though should be President. Somewhere - there has to be better than what we had to pick from.