Well, it does seem to be Clinton. Which makes this one of the odder roll-outs of a presidential appointment.
Balloon is floated; interest is confirmed by both Clinton and Obama; minor debate ensues—with generally positive response (Clinton is deserving and capable; will heal inter-party wounds); Bill becomes side issue; a major paper, albeit a foreign one (the Guardian), reports she has the job; the US media ignores this and continues to report that the nomination is fraught and far from sure.
And now today, the Times has another front page story which pretty much confirms that Hillary has the job—i.e. Bill has agreed to whatever they want him to agree to; why would he agree, if there was no job?—but nobody says it.
(AP Image)
So: it’s already been announced by a big paper, and all the other green lights (i.e.
Bill having been vetted and cleared) are on, but nobody’s saying that's what it is: that Hillary is the next secretary of state. But perhaps she isn’t, and that, after all this, would be weirder still.
So: either the Clintons still make everyone so crazy that no one can quite think straight about what’s what; or the New York Times (and all other American media) no longer have inside sources, or just can’t get an answer to a straight question; or it’s high school and she-said and he-(Bill)-said, together with what they-(Obama and Rahm)-said, is just so much fun.
But enough already.
