Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Clinton's Great, But Not a Fit at State

Obama needs 'an agent, not an author'

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 19, 2008 10:25 AM CST

(Newser) – Hillary Clinton would probably do a good job as secretary of State, but giving her the post would be a mistake, writes David Broder in the Washington Post. “It’s not the best use of her talents, and it’s certainly not the best fit for this president.” Obama needs a diplomat to carry out his will, “an agent, not an author.”

Obama is president largely because America trusts his instincts. He made the right decision on Iraq when so many, including Clinton, did not. He doesn’t need Clinton to mentor him. Nor does he need Bill Clinton, an international force in his own right, being seen as an alternate route to administration influence. Sen. Clinton should remain on Capitol Hill, where she’s won enough respect to wield major influence.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks upon her arrival at the 17th Annual Salute to Freedom Gala on the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008, in New York. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

Don't cry, Hillary. David Broder likes you, he just doesn't think you're a good pick for Secretary of State. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Obama was elected largely because voters thought he made a better call on Iraq than Clinton, and most others (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

What Obama needs is a diplomat who will carry out his foreign policy. He does not need someone who will tell him how to approach the world or be his mentor in international relations.
- David Broder

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Chinese VP Arrives in Washington

Xi Jinping, China's next president, to meet with Obama

(NEWSER) - The man slated to be China's next president began his US tour today, meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office before having lunch with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Biden will serve as Xi Jinping's host in Washington, the New York Times reports. Other stops on the agenda: a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, and a high-level trip to the Pentagon, where he'll get an honor guard salute and meet with Leon Panetta and the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey. More»

Detroit Bust Would've Been Better Than Bailout

Ex-Prez Bush says bailout his idea, and a good one

(NEWSER) - Three years ago, Mitt Romney wrote that President Obama should " Let Detroit Go Bankrupt ," instead of bailing out the struggling auto industry, in a famous New York Times column. And today? Even with the American auto industry on the rebound, Michigan's GOP primary looming on Feb. 28, and Rick Santorum breathing down his neck in the polls , Romney still thinks bankruptcy would have been better than the president's "crony capitalism," he writes in the Detroit News . "I believe that without his intervention things there would be better," he writes. More»

Obama Unveils $3.8T Budget, Targets Rich

Budget would institute 'Buffett Rule,' boost infrastructure

(NEWSER) - President Obama officially unveiled his $3.8 trillion budget today, and as expected it draws a 2012 battle line, calling for higher taxes on the wealthy combined with spending measures intended to bolster the economy, the AP reports. "We built this budget around the idea that our country has always done best when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules," Obama said, according to CNN . "This is not about class warfare. This is about the nation's welfare." More»

White House to Budge on Birth-Control Mandate

'Accommodation' for religious employers will likely be announced today

(NEWSER) - The White House yesterday signaled a compromise over its contentious birth control decision, and the Wall Street Journal confirms that an attempt to accommodate the Catholic Church will likely be announced today. Details remain hazy, but one source tells the Journal that insurance companies, not religious employers, will become the ones who pay for contraception coverage. ABC News notes the move would be cheaper for health insurance companies than having to cover unwanted pregnancies and complications. But since the "accommodation" will still allow female employees access to birth control, Jake Tapper notes, it will likely not satisfy religious leaders. More»

Small Donors Gave 48% of Obama's 2011 Donations

That's more than double the proportion from 2007: analysis

(NEWSER) - President Obama continues to be successful raising money through small donations—and this time around, he's outpacing his campaign from four years ago. Last year, almost half of the money raised by the president's re-election campaign came from donors who gave $200 or less in total, a new report from the Campaign Finance Institute shows. In 2007, by comparison, just 22% of the $96.7 million he raised came from donations of $200 or less. In total, Obama raised $56.7 million from small donors last year, compared to the $38.1 million small donors contributed to all of his Republican opponents combined. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Clinton's Great, But Not a Fit at State