Clinton deserves some of the Obama criticism
Leticia Jones
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Opinions
The U.S. secretary of state is the head of the Department of State, which concerns itself with foreign affairs, such as diplomacy and international development. The secretary of state is the highest ranking Cabinet member, both in terms of succession and precedence. If by some accident of birth you have been living in a cave and do not know this, Hillary Clinton is the U.S. secretary of state. She is one of three women that have held that position. Now since his inauguration as the first black president, President Obama has come under fire for his so-called poor job performance, but is he the only one sleeping on the job?
What has Secretary Clinton been able to accomplish on the world's stage? There isn't much glamour in being the secretary of state, this is universally understood - just look at Condoleezza Rice. If we turn back the hands of time, many of Clinton's predecessors got their jobs done. The Reagan administration had the strong policy voice of George Shultz, and President George H.W. Bush's administration had the world-class power broker James Baker on the job. Most others have been just irritating or utterly useless and forgettable at the job. Condoleezza Rice only made headlines when she decided on a new lipstick color to wear, or she was being picked on by the heads of states of our Middle Eastern brothers. Colin Powell got more accomplished in the military than he did as secretary of state.
Secretary Clinton on the other hand almost became the first female president, so surely her name alone would bring clout and glamour back to the job. Surely, Secretary Clinton would attack the job like she did the campaign trail on her way to the White House. That just hasn't happened. It's like the light has gone out of Clinton's eyes because she wasn't able to beat Obama for the presidency.
To me, she seems like a sore loser and America's foreign policies are paying the price. Clinton's presence, so brazen in her historic presidential candidacy against Barack Obama, has proven hard to find the first few months she's served as the "supposed" voice of U.S. foreign policy. President Obama's passport has more stamps than hers, powerhouse White House envoys have been dispatched to the hotspots around the world, Vice President Biden has been taking on assignments overseas, and even former President Clinton has thrown his hat in the mix, freeing some jailed journalists in North Korea.
What has Secretary Clinton been able to accomplish on the world's stage? There isn't much glamour in being the secretary of state, this is universally understood - just look at Condoleezza Rice. If we turn back the hands of time, many of Clinton's predecessors got their jobs done. The Reagan administration had the strong policy voice of George Shultz, and President George H.W. Bush's administration had the world-class power broker James Baker on the job. Most others have been just irritating or utterly useless and forgettable at the job. Condoleezza Rice only made headlines when she decided on a new lipstick color to wear, or she was being picked on by the heads of states of our Middle Eastern brothers. Colin Powell got more accomplished in the military than he did as secretary of state.
Secretary Clinton on the other hand almost became the first female president, so surely her name alone would bring clout and glamour back to the job. Surely, Secretary Clinton would attack the job like she did the campaign trail on her way to the White House. That just hasn't happened. It's like the light has gone out of Clinton's eyes because she wasn't able to beat Obama for the presidency.
To me, she seems like a sore loser and America's foreign policies are paying the price. Clinton's presence, so brazen in her historic presidential candidacy against Barack Obama, has proven hard to find the first few months she's served as the "supposed" voice of U.S. foreign policy. President Obama's passport has more stamps than hers, powerhouse White House envoys have been dispatched to the hotspots around the world, Vice President Biden has been taking on assignments overseas, and even former President Clinton has thrown his hat in the mix, freeing some jailed journalists in North Korea.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
rachel
posted 11/10/09 @ 6:35 PM EST
Seems like Hillary is not the sore loser, looks like Obama supporters who are uspet with criticism are the ones who cant accept that Obama has not lived up to the hype. (Continued…)
alinosof
posted 11/10/09 @ 7:07 PM EST
Rachel, thank you for setting the record straight. The dithering of the president on foreign and military issues make his secretary of state look bad not the other way around. (Continued…)
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