ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style2 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style3 { height: 69px; } .MsoNormal {} .style4 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2">&nbsp;</td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style2">Barack Considers Hillary</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright November 14, 2008<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style4">M</span>oving quickly to put a Cabinet together, President-elect Barack Obama faces some tough choices, considering Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for Secretary of State.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>During the 18-month campaign, Hillary questioned Baracks readiness for commander-in-chief, citing his inexperience in foreign policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> When Barack picked Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) Aug 23 as his running mate, he did so because of his impressive foreign policy credentials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Obama s pick proved wise, especially with the backlash McCain faced picking neophyte Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain never admitted how Palin hurt the GOP ticket.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While Palin muses over her role in national politics, including a possible presidential run in 2012, she continues to act like she leads the GOP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Naming Hillary as a possible Secretary of State shows that Barack seeks the best talent and isn t afraid to share the limelight.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Showing her interest in the job, Hillary met Nov. 13 in Chicago with Barack, remaining mum to the press.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>  I m not going to speculate or address anything about the president-elect s incoming administration, and I m going to respect the process, said Hillary, refusing to give any details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> During the primaries, Hillary won over 18 million votes, leaving some of her supporters voting for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Hillary s reluctance to discuss the details indicates she s under serious consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While she stands to gain power in the senate, the Secretary of State job would burnish her case for another presidential run in 2016, if not sooner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Running the state department offers the junior N.Y. senator a high-profile job, especially given today s formidable foreign policy challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With Barack s recent exception, senators haven t faired too well in presidential politics.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <![endif]>Barack and his new chief-of-staff Rep. Rahm Emanauel (D-Ill.) plan to meet Nov. 17 in Chicago with McCain and his good friend Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in Chicago to discuss a future role in helping Barack advance his agenda in the U.S. Senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Desspite the fierce rivalry, Barack and McCain share the desire to change Washington s partisan divide, in part caused by a split within the Republican Party, where evangelicals have gained the upper hand during the eight year reign of President George W. Bush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His chief strategist Karl Rove believed evangelicals could create a permanent ruling coalition for the GOP, now shattered Nov. 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>McCain s pick of Palin clearly reflected that split, pandering to the religious right. Working with Barack, McCain could shift GOP power back to moderates, whose fortunes have been eclipsed by right wing extremists in recent years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <![endif]>Harking back to Lincoln, Barack sees value in bringing his rivals into the fold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He expects to invite Republicans into his Cabinet, perhaps offering McCain the Defense Secretary job Monday, when they meet in Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Few expect McCain to accept, instead enlisting his support in the Senate to push Barack s political agenda, especially immigration reform where they re on the same page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>So far, Obama has reached back to old Clinton hands, picking Emanuel and former chief-of-staff John Podesta to run his transition team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Lincoln basically pulled in all the people who had been running against him into his Cabinet because whatever personal feelings there were, the issue was:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>How can we get the country through this time of crisis, Obama said, telegraphing his intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While that worked then, it s not necessarily desirable or the best use of today s available talent. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> Obama should pick his Cabinet not on political strategy but on who s the most competent to get the job done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Picking old Clinton hands does more to antagonize the opposition rather than build a working coalition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Keeping Bush s Defense Secretary Robert Gates would show more status quo, something inconsistent with Barack s change message during the campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>On the other hand, picking a respected Republican like Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) would boldly match up the best talent, not emphsize political strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Before Barack picked Biden as his running mate, Hagel was on the short-list of possible candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> No one in recent memory showed a better profile-in-courage than Hagel, a decorated Vietnam vet, who sacrificed his career, defiying Bush on the Iraq War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Keeping Gates would send the wrong message about the administration s new direction.</p> <span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Picking Hillary for Secretary of State would raise some intriguing possibilities, including a senate confirmation hearing looking into her joint finances with former President Bill Clinton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>On the other hand, the 61-year-old former First Lady and junior senator from New York brings considerable international clout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Both at home and abroad, she s considered among the world s most influential women, bringing added prestige to the job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> To appoint a very strong personality with an independent constituency into a Cabinet position requires a lot of courage, said former Secretary of State and 1973 Nobel Peace laureate Henry Kissinger, speaking in New Delhi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary could name her husband a special enjoy, resolving disputes as far-ranging as Kashmir, Dafur, even Tehran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Picking Hillary would show Barack holds no grudges, looking for the best talent to join his team.</span><p class="MsoNormal"> <bAbout the Author</u><b>John M. Curtis</b> writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.&nbsp; He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <i><a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a> </i>and <i><a href="books.html"> Operation Charisma</a></i>.</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>