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Obama's Other Wife
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In an article that reverberated through the media all week, Tina Brown on how Clinton became the invisible woman at the State Department over the past six months.
Read more analysis on Hillary's speech from other Daily Beast writers.
It’s time for Barack Obama to let Hillary Clinton take off her burqa.
Consider the president’s Moscow trip a week ago. In a cozy scene at Vladimir Putin’s dacha, the boys enjoyed traditional Russian tea and breakfast on a terrace. Sitting on Putin’s right was the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. Where was Lavrov’s counterpart? She was back home, left there with a broken elbow to receive a visit from the ousted Honduran president, José Manuel Zelaya.
It becomes clearer by the day how cleverly Obama checkmated both Clintons by putting Hillary in the topmost Cabinet job.
Same thing last month, when the president stopped off to see King Abdullah en route to his oratorical home run in Cairo: no Hillary. Nor was there any sign of Middle East envoy George Mitchell or anyone else from the State Department on the Saudi leg of the trip, even though its main mission was to recruit Abdullah into a peace-making partnership with Israel. The king told Obama no, by the way, so it’s fair to ask whether the president could have used a bit more Foggy Bottom prep work. Jim Hoagland noted in Sunday’s Washington Post that the White House’s leak of Obama’s decision to send an ambassador to Syria took Clinton’s State Department by surprise and trumped State’s efforts to squeeze another concession or two out of Damascus first.
Hillary finds herself in a familiar bind with a different twist. If she allows daylight between herself and the president, she becomes the kind of lame duck Colin Powell became once foreign powers realized the ex-general was nowhere near Bush’s inner circle. It becomes clearer by the day how brilliantly Obama checkmated both Clintons by putting Hillary in the topmost Cabinet job. Secretary Clinton can’t be seen to differ from the president without sabotaging her own power. And ex-President Clinton has been uncharacteristically disciplined about not threatening the careful political equilibrium his wife is trying to maintain. Besides, when Hillary had her own deep misgivings about taking the job in the first place, it was Bill who seconded Obama and encouraged her to accept.
The Big Dog’s sacrifice (and, maybe, Hillary’s revenge) is that he no longer can behave like a roving superstar diplomat without a portfolio. He has been curtailed in how freewheeling he can be running his successful Clinton Global Initiative. It was an apt symbol when, in May, with the administration’s approval, he was made U.N. special envoy to Haiti. Obama hasn’t just dethroned the potential queen. He’s turned Bill Clinton into Prince Philip—Port-au-Prince Philip, in fact.
Any discontent over this turn of events, however, is locked in the basement of the Clintons’ house in Chappaqua. Hillary, with her usual iron discipline about the big picture of power, is behaving like a stalwart team player. Before she took the job, she was assured she could pick her own trusted team. Yet she was overruled in appointing her own choice for deputy secretary, Richard Holbrooke. Instead, she was made to take an Obama guy, James Steinberg, who had originally been slated to become national-security adviser. (Hillary took care of Holbrooke, one of diplomacy’s biggest stars, by giving him the most explosive portfolio—Pakistan and Afghanistan.) She lost the ability to dole out major ambassadorships, too. A lot of these prizes are going to reward Obama fundraisers instead of knowledgeable appointees like Harvard’s Joseph Nye, whom she wanted to send to Japan.
Even when there’s legitimate credit to be had, she remains invisible. Contrary to administration spin that Joe Biden played a critical role in the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, the vice president stayed opposed to Obama's strategy. It was Hillary, sources tell me, whom the president relied on throughout the deliberations with principal national-security advisers to support and successfully argue his point of view. The need to paper over the difference between Obama and the vice president meant Hillary’s role went unacknowledged.
The former first lady and New York senator is no stranger to the big game of politics. Obama's presidency is tightly White House driven and she is not the only player on a tight leash. She has always cared more about the substance of work than its status trappings. Besides, the president and she agree on most of the big issues (though she thought he took the neutrality of his statements in the Iran uprising too far too long). There has been much comment that she wasn’t allowed by the president’s message team to go on the Sunday talk shows until six months into her tenure as secretary of State. But I doubt she cares about losing the spotlight at this time in her life when she's not running for something. Unlike Bill, she hates glad-handing and does TV only because she has to. Policy is her meat and drink. On her State Department plane, Hillary is always eager to throw off her well-groomed public look and sit up front with no makeup, wearing sweats and her bookworm glasses, as she crunches her way through a big fat file of foreign-policy memos. She is as formidably well-informed in this job as she was at the Rose law firm in Arkansas, doing all the legal backup work for the guys on a big deal. Or when she played the canny sounding board and strategist for Gov. Bill Clinton in his run for president.
That’s the trouble. You could say that Obama is lucky to have such a great foreign-policy wife. Those who voted for Hillary wonder how long she'll be content with an office wifehood of the Saudi variety.
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Tina Brown is the founder and editor in chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times bestseller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
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Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Jeff Madrick is a contributor to the New York Review of Books and a former economics columnist for the New York Times. He is editor of Challenge Magazine, visiting professor of humanities at Cooper Union, and senior fellow at the New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. He is the author of Taking America, The End of Affluence (Random House) and The Case for Big Government.
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Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
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Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
Hillary Finally Doffs Her Burqa
Tina Brown is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. She is the author of the 2007 New York Times best seller The Diana Chronicles. Brown is the former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and Talk magazines and host of CNBC's Topic A with Tina Brown.
The problem with Hillary's appointment was that it was an overt political ploy; hence, she is obviously not O's confidant and guide on the world stage. The world knows Hillary is a rival and that puts her in a hole difficult to get out of.
In short, O diffused a domestic political problem at the cost of an effective State Department.
Her "burqa," Ms. Brown? Please.
The best revenge is success.
Hillary's approval rating is 25-30 points higher than Obama's. Hillary's approval rating is higher than that of Congressional Democrats and Republicans combined. Hillary is not being tarnished with deficits, taxes, and the failed economy.
Tina, we'll see whose been checkmated in 2012 or 2016 depending on when Hillary wants to embark on her "I told you so" tour of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Meanwhile she's shunning the spotlight, being completely loyal to her President, and working hard...oh, and quietly sharpening the knives at night.
The "I told you so" statement will kill Hilary. Look at McCain.....
Depending on the state of the economy in 21/2 years, we'll see if there is a chance for Hilary. I really doubt she will be able to run again. Obama has money and power with him, Hilary's power quest is also a killer for her and americans are tired of the Clintons and the Bushes...
Dear DK Hilllary has done a great job helping pave the way for our first female president: Sarah Palin. George Patton
Yes, a better approval rating because she's not been out there giving much in the way of policy or in any other way putting herself on the line.
Dear DK: Hmm. According to you Hillary put healthcare on the map. Walter Ruther's spinning in his grave. She was handed the issue on a silver platter, and blew it. Like she's blown everything else. And as for being denied the nomination. BO outhustled her every way. HRC's performance was pathetic. Like a football team that gains yardage, but can't put the ball over the goal line or through the goal posts. Only siver lining, she's teed up a Palin presidency. As soon as the sugar high of the porkulus spending dissipates, all the Dems will be toast. You heard it here first, sweetheart. George Patton
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Tina: You didn't mention how Hillary was overruled when she tried to put your pal Sydney Blumenthal in a cushy State Department job. Uh, did Max get his job at TDB because of his pop? Nah, never happen.
No couple could defuse a long range rival like Ms. Clinton. If you think she doesn't have a plan your nuts. This lady isn't finished yet.
Obama brings home the moose. Clinton kitchen-dresses it- great marriage.
Obama is, like, the president, H. Clinton is, like, his hiree. Besides, Obama is a Christian, as far as I know...
Besides, Obama is a Christian? If that was tongue in cheek you lost me!
revcat -- Watch this Hillary gem:
http://tinyurl.com/37q7tv
What the heck does this comment have to do with anything???? WHO CARES WHO HE WORSHIPS.... HE STILL SUCKS, AND HILLARY IS GETTING THE SHAFT.... I was FURIOUS when she accepted to work for the scumbag.... he stole the ticket with the GOP's help cuz they were scared of HRC more than BRObama in the general. Obama thinks he is hot stuff and HOGS the spotlight...but he will HOG his failed policies, AND Hill WILL be our president, and our nation will be in a MUCH better place AFTER HER TERMS than this joker from kenya, no, kansas, no, illinois, no, hawaii, no, indoniaia, no, wherever the hell he needed to be from to gain more votes. Keep biding your time with these STUPID MEN, AND THEN SHOW EM' WHAT U GOT GURL!!!!-Brian A. Pissed in PA
This is really the reaction of someone who is pissed, you have to cool down and think twice. Hilary failed during the campaign, she completely misread...yes misread her oponent and she was condescendent towards hum. that's what killed her. She is tougher but he is tougher. Let see in 2 years...
While your comment (wolfboil... awesome name) was obviously written in a rage, I do take issue with "wherever the hell he needed to be from..."
I take issue only because Hillary claimed her home and her roots in at least 4 different states.
Otherwise your angry rant was entirely not worth commenting on. Good job.
wolfboi
Brobama?! Are you f*cking serious? You were flagged you racist troll.
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I wonder how the article might have read without the constant attempts by the author to paint Hillary's position as some sort of "wife in a Hijab."
The meat of the article was, however, informative.
Listen, she screwed up heathcare; her hubby's administration is largely responsible for the AIGS financial debacle; she screwed up the "cakewalk" to the nomiation. Yeah, she was Jr. senator from NY. But she didn't run against a serious opponent, Rudy, for example. Al Gore got more votes in NY than she did. Like Powell, she's on the way out. Obama outfoxed her. Sorry, dears. Read her valedictory address from Wellsley. Arrogant, arrogant, arrogant. George Patton
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Hillary is staying quiet, nursing her 80% approval rating, while Obama, his economy, his approval numbers, his Congress, and his agenda are starting to burn.
By next year this time, he will be in full flames. She will probably still have a high approval rating, and still have time to jump off the burning ship...reputation in tact.
Outfoxed? Please. Hillary is just lying-in-wait...like all great killers do.
Yup.
Don't ever think that she doesn't know exactly what she's doing. She's the smartest, most diligent, most ethical chick around, and she's doing exactly what she's always done...blooming where she's planted. Just give her some time--you'll see.
you are as brain dead as the people who thought Hillary was going to start a shadow gov't under Obama.
He will not be in full flames. Obama will succeed--and it is very disturbing that you wish him to burn---his burning is America's burning. You don't want health care reform? I hope you keep your job, if you have one, or those who are supporting you if you don't keep theirs, and if this happens, that you stay healthy (even if you do have health insurance, because the last thing these insurers want is for you to get sick). I do hope you reevaluate what you are saying about Obama because his problems are America's problems.
Dear DK head: Killer??? She'll go down the same way Terry McAuliffe did. Just you wait..George Patton
The biggest problem with all of this is that Obama is the WORST thing to ever happen to this nation,and Hillary is quite capable of being the next worst. Obama runs around the world apologizing for America (his speech Moscow which totally discounted the abuses of the former USSR is a perfect example). Hillary, who is VERY smart (and whom I loathe with a passion only outstripped by my feelings for Obama) is UNFORTUNATELY smart enough to distance herself from him and pounce when the time is right.
Jessica150 Hillary is smart, but don't EVERY make the mistake of thinking that she is ethical. Read what the people who worked for her in the White House had to say after she left.
FDB
Melissa. OBAMA's problems are not Ameica's. He represents less than 50% of the people in this country who actually work for a living. Healthcare is not the issue, our survival as a nation is the issue. When he makes statements such as "Veterans are a threat to the security of this nation" When he BOWS to another head of state, when he speaks in Russia and skews history to the point that he never mentions the Gulags, the Berlin Wall or any of the other excesses of the USSR and FAILS to point out that they failed because we supported the cause of freedom throughout the world, when he apologizes for everything that had made the USA the greatest nation in the history of the world, any one with any sense of history, or sense of what America stands for should be appalled and praying nightly that his apologetic, castration of the USA fails.
FDB
@allonfla: And you are as brain dead as the people who Obama was actually going to keep his campaign promises.
@melissamsouza: No, I don't want Obama to burn. But he is burning. Whether I wish it so or not has no bearing on the fact that his policies are failing. I hope Obama's reevaluates his failing policies.
@GPatton: The fact that you just compared Terry McAuliffe with Hillary Clinton shows that you have a tenuous grasp on reality. Yeah, I'll wait. Pfft.
DK Head:
Re: Your comment: "@GPatton: The fact that you just compared Terry McAuliffe with Hillary Clinton shows that you have a tenuous grasp on reality. Yeah, I'll wait. Pfft."
As you know McAuliffe orchestrated her nomination debacle. She'll find someone else next time to do the same thing. Undoubtedly you're one of those die hards who thought that all of her supporters would vote for McCain. Well, Sarah Palin will be the first US woman president. Just you wait and see. George Patton
@GPatton: Oh, the "nomination debacle" where she got more actual votes than any other primary candidate in history? If that's a debacle, I'll take it.
Like, I said, I'll wait. I'm shaking in my boots, waiting *rolls eyes*
If Clinton's lips are moving she is lying. Ethics are foreign to either Clinton, but I did come to respect her tenacity and work ethic during the campaign. If she took the job to undermine the president then she will undermine the nation and it takes a lot more the 18 million to win a general election. Clinton's silence and learning to speak with Obama's voice accounts for her favorablity.
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This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
I just love how haters (*cough* racists) go on about Obama's approval ratings when the man hasn't even been in office a year. Can I ask: What the heck are you expecting right now? How in your opinion would things have been different under McCain right at this moment? What is your timeline for Obama digging us out of a hole it took Bush 8 years to dig? Answers please. Insults only highlight your ignorance (and *cough* racism).
@djaniimaequeen
I fully support Obama and hope him the best but equating anyone who disagrees with him as a racist is ridiculous at best.
@crngndmhm
So wolfboi calling our president BRObama shouldn't be considered racist? Yes it is. And so are you for not acknowleging it.
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Obama got a twofer...put her in a job she can do- if she chooses- shut down the hubby for her but let her travel with her own first 'portfolio'!` Let us all watch how she manages but he can not be blamed for her failure if it should happen!
Brillant and funny..Tina must be a old hill supporter..sourgrapes and poor hill... still does not work!
I agree. I always thought that Obama gave Hillary the job so that the Dems have a strong candidate for 2016 when he's out of office.
@GPatton: how funny! I thought your last sentence you were talking about yourself- "Arrogant, arrogant, arrogant." !
BTW, I can't be the only one who finds it weird the way you constantly use your tag name at the end of your post. A cry for attention or an attempt to bask in some perceived glory of a long dead loony general?
Hey, this is the one thing Obama did right. He spayed and neutered the Clintons - turning them into housepets. Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?
Thanks.
Nearly coughed up coffee all over my desk when I read that.
It's making my morning much better.
"It becomes clearer by the day how
cleverly Obama checkmated
both Clintons by putting Hillary
in the top most Cabinet job."
That was a genius move by Obama.
If Hillary had just said "no" to Obama's appoinment,
she could have laid low for a few years,
and waited for another attempt at the
Presidency if the Obama Administration tanks.
However, if she plays her cards right,
if she waits until the end of 2010 and
the economy doesn't pick up,
she can make her move by resigning her post,
to "SPEND MORE TIME WITH HER FAMILY" (wouldn't Bill Love that),
then reappear for a 2012 run, with hopes of getting
the moderate liberal's vote, who are getting a bit weary over the
current government takeover of private industry,
and Obama's excessive budget.
Was this a genius move by Obama or was it advice from his two handlers that got him where he is in the first place.
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I agree, and the only way she can lay any claim to 'brilliant' is to remain silent. Look at it as yet another job she simply can't do; her stint in the senate coupled to her campaign should have put an end to this brilliant talk. she is hopelessly mediocre and her only brilliant move was to marry bill clinton for it has been through him that she has gotten further than anyone of her limited abilities should have. She is well educated, she is not and never has been gifted.
Sec Rice was far more visable/active in the Bush administration.
Only because George was so inept at matters of State.
Yeah, but was she doing a good job. The state of the international view of the US at the end of that administration would indicate "No." I don't blame Sec Rice for this, but the Sec of State's performance will be only as good as the policy.
That was a close primary wasn't it? Obama won in a heated campaign. Hillary's supporters will forever remember what should have been and let no one else forget. That is what this article is about isn't it?
I too think it was a political move on Obama's part to appoint Hillary to S position. I also think it was because she didn't get the VP call. I may differ in my position that secretary of State isn't a basement position with no future. Secretary of State may never be enough for those still smarting over the primary. A great story of deceit and double-crossing is much more interesting.
Escape all discussions surrounding how well she is doing or specifics on what she's doing. That's boring. Give us the insider's story of how poorly Obama is treating her.
I was looking for the part supporting "may not stay silent forever". I missed it. I hope this turns out well for her. Better for her going forward even. I think this can be done without the need to attack or degrade anyone else. President Obama and all capitol hill men included. Something tells me I'm wrong about that though.
I don't recall Bush treating Sec Rice in this manner. She was very visable and active.
and she did a bang up job.
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Failed to mention that the minute it leaked that she was being considered by Obama for Secretary of State that she picked up the phone a lobbied for the job. So exactly how did Obama put her into any kind of bind!
No, Mr. Obama, L'Etat is not Obama, L'Etat is L'Etat.
When Mr. Obama does foreign policy one gets the feeling it is not so much to advance the American state as to advance Mr. Obama's image. Yup, did you know Rahm and Ax now do foreign policy? That's how low America has sunk. It has mortgaged its soul to one man to buy a little extra buzz of popularity before the sun sets. How desperate.
Obama thinks he does not need America's foreign policy apparatus, Obama travels light. Just Rahm and Ax. Its makes for a puzzling sight these days to see America's tawdry little entourage (I can see why Entourage is Obama's favorite show). We do not see Secretaries of Commerce, or Transport or any bright young officials of state working to further the interests of the United States. What do foreign capitals get these days when America comes calling? They get Rahm, Ax, Obama, and of course a speech. Its all quite tawdry, like a Banana Republic strongman's henchmen, a three-man conga line whipping up pictures for the people, Obama's image makers are now in charge; marketing Obama is now America's foreign policy. I wonder how long it can last?
Frankly, Hillary Clinton should keep to her Rose Garden strategy. Stay low key, stay an envoy-arms length away from Afghanistan and Pakistan and always be seen to advance the interests of the American state. Stay as far away as possible from Obama's image making shenanigans. Obama is America's biggest credit default swap, its last roll of the dice and we know how that story ends don't we?
Bravo- so well said! Thank you.
Agreed. Obama's poll numbers are sinking. His legislative agenda is about to be in shambles because he can't reign in Congress. His stimulus isn't working. And Cheney-hunting is about to overwhelm his White House.
Why would Billary want to associate themselves with coming failure/drama? It's he whose been checkmated, not the Clintons.
They are letting him have it. Who would want to raise their profile on a sinking ship? Hillary is staying far far away...and biding her time (smart woman).
DK: If HC's so smart, how come she lost the nomination? How come she blew healthcare? S. Palin will be the next president. She has more support than H. Clinton. Sorry to break it to you....George Patton
P.S. If HR hadn't married WJC, maybe she'd be president. He's the one whose dragged her through the slime.
She lost the nomination due to the corruption of superdelegates and the bigotry of the media. She put health care reform on the map: the useless Democratic majority in Congress ruined it.
I wish Gov. Palin well. But as far as her having more support than Hillary? Ha. Hillary's approval is at 80%. Palin's is barely above 50%. Try again next time.
Absolutely spot on! Axelrod and Rahm the drivers behind the empty suit.
I am really offended by the way this article was packaged. I hope the author had fun calling the Secretary of State Obama's "other wife," because had this office been held by a man I guess the inference is that no article could have been written addressing the role. How inane.
I so agree. But one must consider the source. Taste has never been Ms. Brown's strong suit. Just another puma who will never get over Ms. Clinton's self-defeating campaign for the presidency.
Such pathetic comments- Tina Brown has it right- Talk to Europeans and especially those in the diplomatic know- they can't believe that this country voted for American Idol over substance. Even though MSM would have us believe otherwise-there is definitely an unflattering view of us- it's all superficial- marketing and branding- Hillary Clinton has a lifetime of public service- No matter that millions of dollars of right wing opposition research in the 90's to destroy both Clinton's was bought by the far left-hook, line and sinker- There is no truth to the faux image created of a power hungry, self-centered witch. Anyone who has ever worked with her (with a healthy ego) knows- Hillary gets stuff done-that's her goal. She's not had to spend most of her life "exploring her fluid identity" As a healthy, intelligent, empathetic women-she has accomplished more than just about any other politician without much hoopla- Her resume is awesome and basically unknown to those blinded by the media hype of The One. Our allies understand and appreciate her gravitas-shame most Americans have remained ignorant.
vertas3 nailed it.
No vertas3 did not. Unless you talking about nailing sh*t to the wall.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My friends all over EU and the ME...breathed a sigh of relief when she finally conceded defeat...They all saw through her borrowed CV and her presumed creds taken from her husband or thin air! Our allies she her for what she is--an appointee!! with a husband who was once a philandering President-!
This woman is a wonk- who did nothing but keep her head down in her carpetbagged Senate seat while the Dem's/bclinton/carville set up her run for President---which did not work out well!
We all know how empathic she was too the woman and men who crossed her! Tina is a 'sourgrapes old Hill raiser' !
Such a shame your friends are as ignorant as you are- Hillary started at 14 with a babysitting coop to go into inner city Chicago and babysit for immigrant worker kids and she didn't stop- Some highlights-President of her class at Wellesley- giving an anti-war speech that was featured in LIfe Magazine- editor of the Social Justice Review at Yale Law School (she didn't want to join the political but ineffectual Law Review) volunteered two days a week at Yale Child Center working with abused children (lead to post-grad year in early childhood brain development) volunteered one day week at Legal Services (became the first women to head that agency) worked on Walter Mondales' sub committee on Immigrant workers- was asked to work on the Watergate hearings-worked in Texas on voter registration for Hispanic farm workers- This was just law school- From her work with the Children' s Defense fund to her co-founding of Vital Voices an international organization for women in third world countries- HIllary Clinton is nothing short of an extraordinary leader and role model citizen. Ignorance or stupidity-whichever you folks who do not find HRC qualified are saddled with- are a threat to our country- Please don't comment unless you get yourself some education.
@veritas3
kind of strange that you would feel the need to list what exactly she has done that is merit worthy in the real world, speaks volumes about her greatest perceived character flaw....an unshakable combination of detachment and lack of compassion
On the other hand, it's common knowledge among supporters and detractors alike that the President turned down big money on Wall St. for a 10k a year job as a community organizer.
compare and contrast those two with an emphasis on political reasoning, in depth if need be
Hear, hear.
veritas3
the people you spoke with must be the Euro equivalent of rethuglicans: completely out of touch. And I'm sorry, how is a man who taught constitutional law an Idol? And why do you feel that McCain/Palin have substance? Hillary is paying for some serious bad karma right now - shame that some Americans still remain ignorant.
She's secretary of state, Tina. She's not in charge of foreign policy nor the chief negotiator. She's an EMISSARY. She goes on trips when the president can't.
What you're suggesting is wholly inappropriate.
Did Henry Kissinger suck up TV time when Nixon went to China?
No.
"....It's time for Barack Obama to let Hillary Clinton take off her burqa....."
Oh, Tina, Tina, Tina ... you give a wonderful twist !
:)
Surprising show of lack of self confidence on Obama's part. Maybe he is listeing to much to his aids and not his own best angels.
Hardly a lack of self confidence when this President continues to appoint women to positions of authority throughout his administration. Or haven't you been counting? I have...and I like what I see. And as for Obama's "best" angels...they have always been the women in his life.
As for Ms. Brown...interesting piece of fiction.
lol. Obama has 2 wives and they wear burquas? lol. love it. ;)
Actually, Tina is a big fan of Hillary and she has done her a favor by putting the focus on the limitations of the White House driven foreign policy team that is all Obama-all-the time. The political team of Emmanuel& Axelrod will now have to push back against the increasing meme that a serious policy driven Hillary is being thwarted by a vainglorious but immature President and his political minions. There have been a few glitches already is message control and the Jim Jones, Bob Gates and Hillary Clinton camps have their own supporters who will be available to an inside the beltway press eager to report on the conflicts and disagreements. Then there is the yet to be controlled Joe Biden who has already caused a few "clarifications" to be issued by Obama.
Granted ,Tina is looking for hits and is prone to these screaming headlines to find readers looking for sensational story lines, but it an angle that bears some critical exposure.
All Obama all the time - funny. Could it be because HE IS THE PRESIDENT?
Actually this foreign policy team has performed remarkably. The public feels that foreign policy is Obama's strongest suit--and of course it has to be Obama-centered, for he is masterfully using himself, his biography, the symbolism of his Presidency (and the incredibly positive image this portrays of America), as the ultimate soft power tool. It has been an impressive performace, heralded worldwide--but journalists only have fun when then can find something to pan and invoke trouble.
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She has a debilitating injury to her elbow - she fractured it. There is quite a bit of rehabilitation that's required for her to heal and regain the use of her arm. She has remained quiet and won't discuss it - but it's what's keeping her on the home front. Far worse than most people realize.
and how are you privy to this insider information?
Hillary Clinton is a stern, fiesty, and outspoken woman. She fits the SoS position perfectly, especially with some of Obama's direction.
And saying that she is going to snatch any chance at the presidency while she's at it is far fetched .
It's way too early to tell what Obama's poll numbers will be or if people will even care about another democrat in the WH by then.
Sorry Tina, Obama WON! HE is only the President. If Hillary were a Henry you wouldn't give a rat's behind about whether he was visible enough or not.
allonfla:
Judging from your many comments here, I can see you're auditioning to be the next Monica Lewinsky.
I think we all get it - you, allonfla, loooooovvvvveeeeee Obama, and hate anyone who insults your belloooovvvvved.
Now give it a rest.
This might be the stupidest comment ever made on the Daily Beast.
I think she is doing a very effective job and the polls bear that out; she most likely didn't go on the Moscow trip because of her elbow--that was a disingenous comment, by the way, Ms. Brown. Of course Obama would have wanted his counterpart to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov present. She will be coordinating negotiations with him. I sense, as usual, this is much ado about nothing and we shall see Hillary gaining momentum as Secretary of State as Obama's initiatives play out.
Guess who appointed the "courtesan" Pamela Harriman to Paris. She was not a career diplomat but just a collector of consorts.
A shockingly sexist headline. And all the more disturbing that it was chosen by Tina Brown.
Strongly agree.
Oh my, this wont end. Leave Madam Secretary alone. she trying to do her job. The Moscow trip was not in the cards for her to go. her Dr. said no. She however is going to Inia and Asia next week. The people at the State Dept love her. She has lots of power. She going to be the best SOS this country ever had. She never lets up, does her homework and gets lots of advise from powerful people in the know.
have no fear Tina her 18 million plus are right with her. Obama aready lost the independent voters and is losing many Democractic voters like the 18 million. How stupid he is to be so arrogant. She is the Sec. of State who represents the policy of this White House. She is a true and loyal asset to the President. How dare you think otherwise.
Absolutely. She is doing a great job! She is serving herself well. If she wants to assert herself and show independence she will have plenty of time to do so in 2015. If for something were to happen to Obama (God forbid and I mean this sincerely) or more likely Biden (God willing) we all know that Hillary is the rightful heir. Biden will not be the Presidential candidate ever nor will he be the Vice Presidential candidate again. Also, Hillary will be a fantastic addition in the VP spot in 2012 allowing Obama to tout his successes while accepting the need for some alterations in his administration.
Obama has been doing well. Hillary has been doing fantastically. I have no doubt that her experience now will lead her to be even better as President if she chooses to run in the future.
Ms. Brown, you are setting gender equality back several decades with such a headline, and it's sickening to see a powerful woman like yourself tearing down another high-achiever who has earned her stripes in the highly male world of national and international politics. Hello, 52%-ers, we need women to be present in politics, and maybe help change the world -- with and outside of their partnerships. Have a little respect for both Obama and for Clinton -- especially the latter. Women cannot achieve parity and respect with headlines that smack of such disturbing sexism. I expected better of you.
You are right in some ways but Brown is calling a spade a spade this time.
No point in covering up the obvious, is there?
A big "amen, sister" to WellReadRachel. This was very shabby on Brown's part.
As to the "spade" remark from Apparently in response to Rachel's post: I don't know if you were trying more for the sexism or the racism, but congrats, you've slimed yourself with both.
hey you can put lipstick on a pig...
Thank you.
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