Hillary Pick Reveals Obama’s Lack of Experience
Posted on November 25, 2008
-By Warner Todd Huston
Time magazine wants so badly to make Obama into the next Abraham Lincoln — so noble that he’s willing to include political enemies in his cabinet — that they are willing to throw away any pretense at observing the candidate himself to make it happen. The latest risible effort by Karen Tumulty and Massimo Calabresi invokes the supposed “team of rivals” comparison as Barack Obama begins to formulate his cabinet. The Time writers base their entire point on the fact that Obama is probably offering the job of Secretary of State to Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination.
But, there are glaring errors Time makes in its analysis. Obama is not picking Hillary because he is noble or looking to include a wider range of policy proscriptions in his cabinet, nor is he picking Hillary to heal party divisions. For one, he’s picking Hillary because Obama himself doesn’t know anyone that could take the office. In fact, that is the main reason he’s going back to the tarnished Clinton years to fill his staff and cabinet positions in the first place. Obama himself has nether the experience nor the network of knowledgeable associates to take those positions so he has no choice but to rely on the past. Secondly, he mistakenly imagines that he can control her merely because she is supposed to be at his pleasure.
Lincoln, on the other hand, faced a far different situation when he came to Washington. He forsook his Illinois associates because his nation was disintegrating into internecine warfare. Lincoln didn’t have the luxury of bringing his Illinois patronage army into Washington because he knew he didn’t have the time for he and they to get the feel of Washington. He had to face a developing war and needed the only party left in Washington four square on his side right away. Even at that he fought his own appointees sometimes bitterly.
Obama, on the other hand, is picking his staffers and cabinet members from the Clinton machine because he has no political machine at home, no long associations with anyone with experience and has none himself to gauge from amongst those he does know for who would have the capacity to take on any of the positions he has to fill.
Far from being a noble gesture, Obama’s falling back on the Clinton era proves his utter lack of experience and a complete dearth of a network of competent associates. It also shows that Joe Biden may have just lost his chance to be the go-to-guy on foreign policy. After all, it is hard to imagine Senator Clinton taking direction from the likes of Joe Biden.
Worse, it shows that he really must not have meant what he said about Hillary’s supposedly wrong headed ideas about foreign policy. Even Time notes that he and Hillary were at odds over foreign policy far more than any other issue. Of course it makes sense that Hillary might feel disposed to take on a position where her ideas on foreign policy might find the light of day, but why does it make sense that Obama would put her in that position seeing as how he felt her ideas were so wrong?
He has to know that Hillary disagreed with his policy proscriptions, right? How can Obama imagine she will allow him to subsume her cherished ideas and replace them all with his own? It seems more likely that Obama is willing to allow Hillary’s input on foreign policy – or else why pick her at all — and that, indeed, his own ideas are not as closely held as he made on during the election.
Instead of a “noble” gesture, this choice of Hillary for State seems born of Obama’s inexperience, his lack of a network of qualified associates, his short term on the national scene, and a lack of dedication to the policy claims he made on the campaign trail.
There is one more thing that Obama’s reliance on Clintonites shows. It shows that he isn’t too ready to usher in that “change” he was advertising. He’s not picked any “new” folks yet, has he?
» Filed Under Barack Obama, Democrats, Elections, Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Liberal Media/Bias, News, Obama/Biden, Politics As Usual
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13 Responses to “Hillary Pick Reveals Obama’s Lack of Experience”
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He is a dodo bird.
Very well thought out and written. You could also add the none of Obama’s associates could pass his own ‘vetting’ process.
He doesn’t know anything because he has not spent his years accumulating knowledge – so he desperately needs someone to tell him what to say and do.
I distrust Obama and feel that America will lose freedom and suffer financially and morally because of his election. And the endless roll call of Clinton appointments is nauseating and brings up lots of bad memories. But it has causes me to respect Obama for a couple of reasons. First, maybe this is a sign that he can see his limitations. Second, he might actually be more open and flexible one might gather from his history. But we’re f****d, regardless.
Hillary’s pick only shows what promises Obama made to get them on board. She has no experience in this field and is a bad choice for it.
What an idiotic post, rife with assumptions, guesses and sheer fabrications. I challenge you to back up any of your nonsensical assertions with facts.
And what’s this whole thing about “going to Biden for foreign policy advice”? Biden, unlike Cheney, understands the CONSTITUTIONAL parameters of the Vice Presidency. That of an individual-in-waiting in case the President is incapacitated. He will resume this role.
And what’s so bad about Clinton appointees? Did we not experience a balanced budget and the most expansive growth this country has seen in a generation during his tenure? And what have we seen under Bush? Under your dyslexic hero: One insane war that we pay out the nose for. Another that is lost (uuhhh did we get Bin Laden yet?) A sincerely broken economy.
All Clinton did was bang his intern and lie about it. Bush lied, people died, and he banged all of us.
Get a clue. Your party is done. Think 1933. You’re looking forward to generations of Democratic rule, so get over it.
This article is written by an idiot who has no clue whatsoever. Go back and do your homework again. What was so wrong during the Clinton years? We had a balance budget with a surplus. The economy was thriving. Nothing bad happen on Clinton’s watch. Obama is just reaching out to fill his cabinet with experience personell. Why would you want new faces with no experience in a bad economy and a situation like this.I used to be a Republican who voted 95% in favor of the GOP. I also used to deplore Clinton and his staff, but looking back it was a SUCCESSFUL Administration.
We had a balance budget with a surplus. The economy was thriving.
A Democrat Presidency with a Republican Congress.
Now we have a Republican Presidency with a Democrat Congress with a budget deficit and a economy in the toilet.
Nothing bad happen on Clinton’s watch.
And you have the audacity to call the writer a clueless idiot.
Why would you want new faces with no experience in a bad economy and a situation like this.[?]
Why are you asking such a stupid question? You are the one who voted for the inexperienced new face whose party opposed restrictions and oversight that would have prevented this mess.
Instead of voting for Hillary, you vote in a middleman who will give you the same.
I used to be a Republican who voted 95% in favor of the GOP. I also used to deplore Clinton and his staff, but looking back it was a SUCCESSFUL Administration.
Riiight! No doubt you used to be a “Christian” who went to church twice a week before discovering the “truth.”
Nothing to do with the subject, but just had to say it.
When I was in the military during Viet Nam, I was investigated before being granted a top secret cryptographic security clearance.
The FBI interviewed family and friends, past and present; they needed to know every school that I attended, and the address of all my residences since birth.
My question is this; if that much effort and money was expended for a security clearance for a regular guy like me, then how does Barack Obama, with all his anti-American associations, and affiliations, get cleared for the mother of all security clearances??
Just wondering………………
It is remarkable, and sad, that weeks after the election, those who despised Obama are still doing everything within their power to trash him. I hope that eventually they realize that the country they are trashing is still called the UNITED States, for a reason.
About your beloved Clinton and his surplus.
He and the democratic majority passed the largest tax increase to pad that surplus.
Look it up; EVERY republican voted against it, and it passed by ONE vote.
That is fact……
What a bunch of sore losers!!!Obama won the election with a clear mandate and a majority of votes both electoral and popular. My fellow Americans need to join the country as we work together in the midst of this crisis and stop it with the Obamabashing and rehash of lies pumped out of the right wing sewer during the campaign.
BINGO!!!
Now you know how we feel about 8 years of constant Bush bashing by the left wing sewer.
Touche’
You’re clueless. Thank God Obama isn’t just bringing all his friends from Illinois and basing his administration picks on loyalty to him, as W did. That really worked out well, didn’t it?