MyDD :: Woodward: Concern Troll

Woodward: Concern Troll

by Josh Orton, Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 04:30:38 PM EST

Get ready for an onslaught of annoying media analysis now that the New York Times has confirmed that Hillary Clinton will be Obama's Secretary of State.

Here's Bob Woodward from the transcript of this weekend's taped Chris Matthews Show:

Being president is about control, and tell me who ever controlled Bill or Hillary Clinton. They can't control each other. ... I think it's because Warren Buffett and Paul Volcker and others have convinced Obama, 'You're going to have to focus like a laser on the economy. That's issue Number One. And give Hillary and Bill the world.' ... I think people are fantasizing or smoking something if they think Joe Biden's going to call Hillary Clinton up and say, 'This is what we want you to do.'

Spare us.

Look, the Clintons are certainly big players in the Democratic party - not really surprising given that Hillary's a Senator and that Bill is, you know, a former President.

And a huge amount of the Clinton's public image is a media creation, fabricated disproportionately from a crowd of celebrity journalists that have lived and breathed DC for decades.

Do I think the Clinton's are perfect? No politician is. But I do think Hillary Clinton will make an excellent Secretary of State. I also have complete confidence that the man we elected President doesn't share the Village's view of an administration as a huge, real-life game of Risk.

Tags: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama (all tags)

Permalink :: 11 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Woodward: Concern Troll (none / 0)

What's made Bob Woodward's work useful is the fact that he's cultivated a lot of sources - especially in Republican circles - over the past couple of decades. Without those sources, all evidence is that he's moderately stupid.

When you start out making the "slippery slope" argument, where do you draw the line?

by Jess81 on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 04:33:43 PM EST

Re: Woodward: Concern Troll (none / 0)

You have to remember that when the former President travels overseas, he's treated like a rock star on tour and when Mr. Woodward's candidate (you know, the current occupant) travels overseas, he's tereated like an alledged serial killer on trial.

by spirowasright on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 04:50:19 PM EST

They don't get it (none / 0)

A standard politician would have certainly kept someone who clearly does not agree with him on all of the issues, and who criticized him so much in the primaries as far away from his cabinet as possible.

A standard politician would have signaled Congress to cut loose the guy who supported his opponent in the election.

Obama, however, is no standard politician. Will the traditional media ever grasp that fact?

Two riders were approaching......the wind begins to howl!

by John in Chicago on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 05:07:09 PM EST

Re: They don't get it (none / 0)

I agree with your first point, but reject the second. It's not that Lieberman just opposed Obama. It's that he's a lousy chairman and embraces the Bush foreign policy voters rejected.

by Josh Orton on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 05:14:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: They don't get it (none / 0)

Oh I agree, just was lazy in writing about all of Joe's poor qualities. But again, Obama decided to focus on unity and governing instead of retribution.

Did I want Joe to lose his Homeland Security chair? Hell yeah. But there's something to be said for Obama when his decision is based on wanting to keep an additional ally, rather then create a new GOP senator.

Obama has a LOT of political capital right now, and he did not want to wastefully spend any of it on the Lieberman affair, which is smart if you consider the effects that Lieberman losing his chair that would have resulted.

Now Obama has an ally that the Repugs pretty much have to respect. and if Joe doesnt play ball, it's not like Obama and the Dems can't make him pay at any time they want to. Worse comes to worse, Obama can just dissolve the Homeland Security committee and replace it with a differently named committee that does the exact same thing, sans Lieberman.

And Sore Loserman will get his due when he's up for reelection anyway.

Two riders were approaching......the wind begins to howl!

by John in Chicago on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 05:28:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: They don't get it (none / 0)

No, he can't just dissolve the committee. If Lieberman continues down the same path, it will actually be quite hard to remove him once the organizing resolution at the beginning of Congress passes.

And please, please stop framing this as retribution. It's exactly what Lieberman wants.

by Josh Orton on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 07:10:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: They don't get it (none / 0)

I understand your point, but face it, regardless of what frame any particular person prefers, the trad media was going to frame it as retribution either way.

The last thing I want to do is what "Lieberman wants", but that's what it would have been seen as either way.

My perspective is to let it play out and see what happens.

Two riders were approaching......the wind begins to howl!

by John in Chicago on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 07:36:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: They don't get it (none / 0)

Obama is no standard politician. Will the mainstream media get it?
No.

by spirowasright on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 05:36:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Hillary as SoS (none / 0)

There are a number of big differences between being a Senator and being the SoS:

(1) Being a senator gives one a certain amount of independence; you can publicly take a stance for a strategy different from the president's. As SoS, Hillary would have to resort to leaking, in order to oppose any administration policy she does not like.

(2) Being a senator does not require much executive experience. But an SoS needs many new skills to run the huge bureaucracy at State. And what executive experience does Hillary have? Look at how she ran her presidential campaign, and how she managed her health care task force back in the early years of Bill's administration: Both were fraught with problems that ultimately thwarted her main objective.

If I were Hillary, I'd stay in the Senate.

Bob in HI

by Bob Schacht on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 06:09:40 PM EST

Re: Woodward: Concern Troll (none / 0)

Woodward is right. This is probably all going to fall apart eventually, like G.W, Bush and Colin Powell. And when it does, the two parties are going to walk away miffed, setting up a Clinton challenge. Better not to go down this road at all.

I say give Hillary the first Supreme Court seat that opens up. She'll be great at that job. And it's for life.

by Dan Kervick on Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 09:20:07 PM EST

Re: Woodward: Concern Troll (none / 0)

And we know from her time in the Senate that Clinton can be a team player. Most likely she gives him 4-6 years, then resigns to run for 2012.

by Bob H on Sat Nov 22, 2008 at 08:11:05 AM EST

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