Writes the NYT:
[There are] discussions about an enhanced position for Mrs. Clinton are factoring into her deliberations over joining the cabinet... Mrs. Clinton, the junior senator from New York, is wrestling with whether to abandon her independence to become the nation’s top diplomat or remain in a chamber where lack of seniority limits her influence.Subordinate yourself to no man! He's trying to tame you! Stay free, Hillary!
Mrs. Clinton asked to join the Senate Democratic leadership after the Nov. 4 election, and party leaders began trying to figure out a way to accommodate her without dislodging any of the current leaders...Make way for Hillary! She wins if they step aside for her. Let's see her get them to step aside.
Driving her consideration, friends said, is a sense of disenchantment with the Senate, where despite her stature she remains low in the ranks of seniority that governs the body. She was particularly upset, they said, at the reception she felt she received when she returned from the campaign after collecting 18 million votes and almost becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party.She's boxed in. Let's see her get out of the box. Such disrespect for the woman!
“Her experience in the Senate with some of her colleagues has not been the easiest time for her,” said one longtime friend who insisted on anonymity in exchange for sharing Mrs. Clinton’s sentiments. “She’s still a very junior senator. She doesn’t have a committee. And she’s had some disappointing times with her colleagues.”
UPDATE: The NYT"s Peter Baker says "Clinton to Accept Secretary of State Job":
Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. Mr. Obama’s office told reporters Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but Clinton associates only confirmed Friday afternoon that she has decided.
“She’s ready,” said the confidant. Mrs. Clinton was reassured after talking again with Mr. Obama because their first meeting in Chicago last week “was so general,” the confidant said. The purpose of the follow-up talk, he added, was not to extract particular concessions but “just getting comfortable” with the idea of working together.
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33 comments:
Free Range Hillary!
Does Obama really want someone in his cabinet who is easily disenchanted by a perceived lack of power?
Maybe Hillary is holding out for Obama to offer her the presidency.
Obama needs Hillary to take the job so he can vet Bill's overseas speeches, monitor with whom he's doing business, and have information about his donors (this last point via JM Hanes).
The smart thing for her to do is to stay where she is. Why would she abandon a safe Senate seat to put herself at the center of a serious Constitutional problem in order to subordinate herself to her former rival?
For all her experience, she doesn't really have any.
She can't be surprised at how the Senate works.
Can't we just change the Constitution and add a fourth branch? One that will rule over the other three, break up fights, kiss their boo boos, and offer everyone a big cold glass of milk and just-baked cookies?
Steve - she might be surprised. Before she got elected to the Senate she didn't even have the kind of experience with a legislative job as WIFE of a governor and WIFE of a president with executive branches - WJC lost his only campaign for a legislative position.
Some "friend"
The smart thing for the Dems would probably be to pole-axe Reid and install Clinton as majority leader. Reid is as unafflicted with competence as was Frist; he well-fits Churchill's dismissal of Clement Atlee as "a modest man who has much to be modest about."
Stay free, Hillary!
That's a feminine hygiene product.
Yes. Move Reid aside. He needs to spend more time reading about his Mormonism's early ideological rejection and condemnation of party politics.
Turning now to Hillary, does she really want to be the leader of a den of thieves that would applaud Senator Steven's departure?
I say good riddance to the felon Stevens, and let him walk along to his car with a box in his arms.
"The greatest deliberative body in the world!" Hah! The greatest body of preening bafoons in the world.
Some amusing comments to this post - haha.
I hope Hillary becomes Sec of State. I forsee soap opera on a grand scale, one not seen since the Clintons pulled away from the White House in their pickup truck full of booty.
If I were Obama, no way. That woman and her horny husband will bring a bunch of trouble.
You've got to wonder what Samantha Power must think of all of this.
Impeach Chris Dodd for sleaze and give her the Banking and Finance chair. Her futures trading acumen shows she has excellent instincts for money.
Michael,
Of course she might be surprised. She's never had to start from te bottom politically. But we were told she's experienced, which never made sense, at least in the legislative realm.
She has to pick State. She is drawn to men who will cheat on her and Obama will certainly be unfaithful to her in turn.
bearbee said...
"Impeach Chris Dodd for sleaze and give her the Banking and Finance chair."
How does one impeach a Senator, Bearbee? ;)
she'd be great fun to see remain in the senate, collegial enough with her dem colleagues, but ballsy enough to go rogue, or as they say in that august body, "maverick", when it suits her (and make sure that's often). she can be the dem voice of reason against the obama administration's inevitable missteps/oversteps, and curry favor to run a la 1980 Kennedy in 2012, or be the candidate or kingmaker deluxe in '16.
but she probably won't.
If she takes Secretary of State, maybe her husband would be appointed to fill her seat in the Senate. Now THAT would be interesting. Not a good idea, but certainly interesting.
It will be very difficult for HRC to begin a presidential campaign in 2009 if she is the SecState.
"Oh, no! Nobody's giving me any special privileges just for being the special person that is me, they actually expect me to serve time and work my way up in the Senate just like any other poor schlub! It's almost as bad as if I'd had to actually earn my own way in politics instead of marrying my way to power!"
Simon said...
bearbee said...
"Impeach Chris Dodd for sleaze and give her the Banking and Finance chair."
How does one impeach a Senator, Bearbee? ;)
I had to look this up.
So the House can impeach but the Senate cannot try an impeachment involving one of their own?
The impeachment of Senator Blount
Public Diplomacy.
The changes at the Air Force were just announced and now Obama wants free school for federal employees. The public Service Academy will give free education to anyone who goes to work for the federal government under the dems like Obama and his executive agencies. The university will hire dems to staff the school and it is the jobs for the staff that will create the academy.
We need free university for everyone, not just dems who will get federal jobs and live off our taxes.
On the other hand, Sec. of State would put Hillary out of the country a lot, so maybe that would be a good thing.
She'll be all tied up having tea with the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea and sitting through multi-lateral security meetings with the defense ministers of Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.
She's in as the Secy of State nom.
What a denouement Obama's presidency is going to be, coming after such an ascendant campaign!
If he can hold steady the ship of state, hats off. If he can hold off the dogs, be they douchebags of the Waxman stripe or other, hats off.
If he's just inadvertently provided the electorate (and press) with 4 years worth of high drama and comedy, contained over at State (a nice place to point a finger for any fo-po failures that materialize; she said she was uniquely qualified and "ready", after all...), well, hats off for that too, for what it's worth.
She's been in the Senate eight years. She spent two of those years running for President full-time. And she complains that she's not in the Senate leadership?
Didn't she turn down a Senate leadership position in '06, because she was afraid of what it would do to her Presidential run?
Bearbee, the Blount impeachment is an anomaly. The impeachments clause provides only for the impeachment of the President, the Vice President, and civil officers of the United States. But it is settled that legislators are not civil officers of the United States - I discussed some of these issues in exploring the line of succession.
From the campaign: "If Hillary's experience qualifies her for the Presidency, then Yoko Ono was a Beatle..."
But seriously, B to the Hizzo, O to the Bizzay triangulated quite well here. He's effectively ended Hilbot's presidential aspirations, given her a job where he can spend his term dispatching her to Whogivesafuckistan every week, and just in case she wants to go all Colin Powell on him, gives him a scapegoat on any foreign relations missteps, as Biden swears that the choice that's now polling well is exactly what Obama wanted to do.
he can spend his term dispatching her to Whogivesafuckistan every week
Hah! "Whogivesafuckistan" -- I like that.
Well the other upside for Obama is Bill will be stuck chasing
"Whogivesafuckistan" women. Thats gotta be less of a media feeding frenzy than interns in DC. And "Whogivesafuckistan" leaders are going to have to negotiate knowing Hillary's nutcracking abilities. Should help focus the mind.
Still one has to ponder if Obama hasn't just cast one of those bad made-for-TV dramas. Or maybe an interesting chapter of a future "Decline and Fall of US Empire". This does cement her place as our North American Evita.
Didn't Obama have a sub committee -- which Sen. Clinton chastised him for never calling a meeting of? How come he had a (sub)committee and she didn't?
(BTW, did you know Sen. Obama isn't? He resigned his seat. No wonder he isn't really involved in this bail out thing. He can vote "present" without voting! Don't think Illinois got its money's worth.)
Actually, I think Sen. Schumer should spread the wealth and share his committee with Sen. Clinton. That would be fair.
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