Former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder has apparently been offered the job of Attorney General. This is an inspired choice. Holder is highly qualified and will bring the emphasis back on justice in the Justice Department. I was hoping he would be offered the job and I am very glad that it now appears that he will be our next Attorney General.
On the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Senate Democrats have decided to allow Joe Lieberman to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee. I guess the Senate Democrats are so used to being humiliated the last eight years that they have acquired a taste and craving for it. Still, its their caucus and if they enjoy being laughed at its their right. So much for Joementum. Joe Lieberman is a disgrace and the Senate Democrats deserve his company.
Then there is the drama surrounding the appointment of the next Secretary of State. After a weekend of beating the drums and publicly applying pressure on Obama, it appears the Hillary Clinton backers are pulling back a bit. This from the Politico:
Hillary Rodham Clinton isn’t certain she would accept the Secretary of State post even if Barack Obama offers it to her, several people close to the former first lady say.
Press reports that portray Clinton as willing to accept the job – once the Obama transition team vets Bill Clinton’s philanthropic and business ventures – are inaccurate, one Clinton insider told Politico.
Now there is news that Clinton backer Richard Holbrooke – another awful choice – is actively lobbying for the Secretary of State job. Perhaps this is a way of muddying the waters to allow Clinton a graceful path back if the job goes to Richardson or another worthy candidate.
Apart from the rather unseemly attempt to roll the President-elect, Clinton at Foggy Bottom would be disastrous for an Obama foreign policy that holds out the prospect of a strategic realignment vis a vis Iran. With Clinton delivering Obama’s foreign policy message, there will be little or no progress with Iran. Diplomacy is all about nuance, and I suspect a lot will be lost in translation with Clinton delivering Obama’s message to her opposites. A Secretary of State that has already threatened to obliterate Iran would signal that Obama’s Iran policy is dead on arrival. As a reminder, this is what Barack Obama said about Clinton’s threat to obliterate Iran:
"It’s not the language we need right now, and I think it’s language reflective of George Bush," Obama told NBC’s "Meet the Press."
Barack Obama was exactly right. So, as Obama ponders whether he will cave to Clinton’s pressure, he should consider the impact Clinton’s belligerence will have on his foreign policy. Then he should consider whether that is the signal he wants to send to the world.
In spite of the public Clinton drama, I remain convinced that Bill Richardson is still the most likely candidate for Secretary of State. And, unlike a Clinton appointment, a Richardson appointment would send just the right signal to the world.
