For the most part, while I may disagree with some of the policies President Elect Barack Obama may have, the one selection that gives me a great deal of concern in today’s world is Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State.
Mixed messages, confusing messages, or nebulous support for any action when it comes to many other area’s of government won’t be scrutinized by the leaders of other countries as much as a millimeter of disagreement or lack of support as it will be when it comes to the Secretary of State.
There are enough questions, even in Joe Biden’s mind that Barack Obama will face international challenges early in the presidency. Why would you add the potential divisiveness from Hillary Clinton’s more hawkish nature?
Hillary has the ability to play, just like Bill Clinton did, to the audience in front of her, but I do give her the benefit of the doubt, she may have been planning her 2008 run, but I do think in 2002 she was voting her belief that war (after all she and Bill Clinton had gone through with Saddam Hussein) was inevitable.
As Baker said on Meet the Press today, “. . . a Foreighn leader can see daylight from 1000 miles away . . .” Can she pick up on Obama’s foreign policy and work towards his vision and not hers? Can she avoid showing a Foreign Leader the daylight upon which they may maneuver to do harm to the US and the credibility of Barack Obama?
The most critical thing any president needs to project is predictability in foreign affairs and responses towards them. Uncertainty is bad on Wall Street, it is worse in the Kremlin, in Islamabad, in Baghdad, in Beijing, and the capitals of Europe. The President of the United States must be flexible, predictable and resolute on the key responses, any wavering and I ask you to see what happened, and almost happened between October 18 and 29 of 1962 (click here for background).
Clinton as the Secretary of State advising Obama and carrying out his vision would have to deal with a resurgent Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and if you’ve listened in the last 24 hours Venezuela (which conducted joint exercises with Russia earlier this year) is not such a stable place, Cuba (once again talking with Russia and let’s not forget the Somali Pirates and the fifth fleet.
This is not a simple world and that daylight between Obama and Clinton, keeps me up at nights.
The Lee’s Summit Conservative
