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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 December 1 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;<span class="style4">&nbsp;P</span>resdient-elect Barack Obama is expected to name former rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for secretary of state Monday, Dec, 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>She gave him all he could handle in the Democratic primaries, providing much of the negative campaign used by his GOP rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who Barack beat Nov. 4 in the general election 53% to 46%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack buried the hatchet, picking his once bitter rival, whose attacks on his foreign policy credentials served as McCain s blueprint for failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary criticized Barack for lacking foreign policy experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>His pick of her now shows he s willing to move on, bringing on the former First Lady to run the State Department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary promised Obama s vetting team she d work out any remaining kinks regarding her husband s possible conflicts-of-interest funding his presidential library and charitable foundation.</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>Of all Barack s Cabinet picks, Hillary is the most controversial, not because of her own issues but because of Bill s past and current dealings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While there s not much separation on foreign policy between Bill and Hillary, Barack takes his first high-stakes gamble picking his former rival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Hillary expects to pick her own staff, potentially running afoul with his otherwise carefully considered picks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary s fiercely independent streak and forceful personality could rub some diplomats the wrong way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>She inherits a mess at the State Dept. with low morale in the wake of eight years of Bush s foreign policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>After bypassing Hillary for VP, Barack decided to offer her the No. 3 post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Few expected Hillary to leave the Senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She and her husband realized that running the State Dept. was far more prestigious than serving out her term as junior New York. senator</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Barack decided to stay with former CIA Director and current Defense Secretary Robert Gates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Though Gates supported President George W. Bush s Iraq policy, he s not expected to put up too much resistance to Barack s exit strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Showing continuity at the Defense Dept. was more important than forcing change at the Pentagon during a time two wars and heightened terror alerts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Recent attacks in Mumbai, India indicate that the war on terror rages on in different battlefields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Unlike the controversial former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Gates could live with Obama s exit stategy, calling for a withdrawal of combat forces within 16 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While Gates agreed to stay on for a short while, Barack s expected to name another defense secretary before the next mid-term elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Gates agrees with Barack about adding more troops in Afghanistan, overshadowed by the Iraq War.</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>Expected to announce former Clinton Deputy Atty. Gen. Eric Holder to run the Justice Dept., Barack opts for experience over a fresh face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Holder knows his way around the Justice Dept. still reeling from the political firings of eight deputy AGs under former Justice Dept. Director Alberto Gonzales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Gonzales resigned in disgrace Aug. 27, 2007 after embarrassing testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While Holder is well-credentialed, he comes with some baggage from his last days in the Clinton Justice Dept. offering no objections to the pardon of the billionaire fugitive Marc Rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> While working at the Washington law firm Covington &amp; Burling, he represented Chiquita Brands International after getting fined for supporting United Self-Defnese Forces of Columbia, a recognized terror group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Holder defended Chiquita against a civil suit rising from the criminal action.</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>Barack also went to a safe pick for National Security Advisor, picking retired heavily decorated four-star Marine Gen. James L. Jones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Jones comes with a wealth of foreign policy experice serving as NATO Supreme Allied Commander [2003-2006].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He retired from his 40-year Marine career Feb. 1, 2007, currently serving on the boards of Boeing and Chevron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With Mumbai still reeling from terror attacks, picking Jones provides reassurance to the GOP and conservative foreign policy establishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Jones was asked twice but declined to serve as Deputy Secretary of State under Condoleezza Rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He currently serves as Chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United Stats and special advisor to President-elect Barack Obama during the campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Jones, known for his problem solving skills and pleasant demeanor, is expected to execute Obama s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>national security objectives.</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>Picking Hillary to head the State Dept., Barack put past differences aside and went for competence and star-power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hillary should become the highest profile State Department Secretary since Henry Kissinger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Barack promised to afford Hillary a degree of autonomy to create a new paradigm for U.S. State Dept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Greatly weakened by two foreign wars, Clinton will work hard toward building a bipartisan foreign policy not seen since James Baker III led George H.W. Bush s State Dept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>With so many red flags on the horizon, Barack opted for some of the most seasoned foreign policy experts to lead his national security and foreign policy teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>There s no room for error or on-the-job-training, ironically the exact criticism leveled by Hillary and McCain at Barack during the campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Those looking for change won t find it with the inexperienced:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Obama packed his Cabinet with proven winners.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <bAbout the Author</u>John M. Curtis 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>