Is Barack Obama a Prophet? Or does he merely play one on TV?, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, State Department
During a Democratic Presidential debate in Iowa nearly a year ago, Obama was asked if he was so keen on change then why were so many former Clinton officials advising him on foreign policy matters.
As Obama began to formulate his response laughter swept through the room.
Hillary said, “I want to hear that.”
Obama casually shot back in the cool manner that we are now all accustomed, “Hillary, I am looking forward to you advising me as well.”
The room went from laughing at Obama to laughing with him. Hillary laughed too. She was smiling but she wasn’t happy.
Perhaps she knew her fate had been sealed right then and there.
Perhaps Obama wanted Hillary as his Secretary of State all along.
Sure during primary season Obama questioned her foreign policy credentials claiming he knew more about the world as a child in Indonesia than the sum total of her six decades. But he also knew that aside from a few diligent conservatives no one was paying attention to anything he actually said.
The principle reason President-elect Obama picked Hillary to be his Secretary of State was not due to her vast foreign policy experience but rather to ward off any challenge she might present him for the 2012 Democratic Party nomination. If Hillary is an integral part of the Obama Administration why would she undermine it?
But let’s face it. Obama will be sworn in to oversee the American economy in its worst shape in three decades. Obama will also be Commander in Chief to a military engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq not to mention the broader War on Terror. No matter how susceptible the liberal media is to Obama’s charms there is plenty of room for failure. If the Obama Administration hits an iceberg and should sink as precipitously as the Titanic then Hillary will grab the nearest lifeboat and shout, “Women and Clintons first.” Then she will jump ship. If Hillary leaves then look for others to follow, Clintonite or not.
Unless Hillary Clinton is to Barack Obama what George Marshall was to Harry Truman then I cannot see her remaining at Foggy Bottom beyond 2011.
If Hillary departs the State Department before 2012 under less than amicable terms with Obama it probably won’t be over differences on any specific issue or even a general vision of American foreign policy. It won’t be over one large matter but rather a hundred little ones - a leak to the press here; an overstatement of government policy there.
Then there’s former President Bill Clinton. Sure if the 42nd President travels abroad then his prepared remarks will have to be cleared with the State Department. But do you honestly think the State Department, even headed by his wife, can stop him from going off the cuff in the middle of a speech on trade liberalization in Dubai?
These can be relatively small incidents taken on their own but their accumulation could serve to undermine the Obama Administration’s foreign policy agenda be it in the Middle East, Russia, China, India-Pakistan, Zimbabwe or Latin America. A change of guard at the White House might not be what restores America in the eyes of the world after all.
As Secretary of State Hillary would be out of the country a great deal of the time and would have relatively little face to face contact with President Obama. They would mostly speak by phone at around 3 a.m. As Secretary of State Hillary would probably end up meeting with more heads of state than would Obama. Under those circumstances she might be reasonably justified in wondering why she shouldn’t be a head of state herself.
Hillary has been a Watergate attorney, the wife of a Governor, a First Lady in the White House, a New York Senator and soon will be confirmed by her Senate colleagues a Secretary of State. This new appointment will not satiate Hillary’s appetite for power. It will only whet it further.
Of course, if the Obama Presidency is an unparalleled success and he is re-elected Hillary will bide her time. She’ll plan for 2016 nearing the age of 70. As long as Hillary draws breath she will find a way to seek the Oval Office.
Then again Hillary bided her time for 2008 and the White House will be occupied by a man who five years ago was an obscure Illinois State Senator. Who knows what other leaders waiting in obscurity the Democratic Party will produce in eight years from now?
In the meantime, Barack Obama will set American foreign policy. Hillary Clinton will advise Barack Obama on how he should set that American foreign policy. With two egos the size of Mount Rushmore they will inevitably butt heads. Obama might be in for a very long headache no amount of Advil could fix. Hillary might force his hand.
If Hillary Clinton were to be unceremoniously fired or resign as Secretary of State before the end of Obama’s term then the fate of his Presidency would be sealed. Hillary would challenge Obama for the 2012 Democratic Party nomination. Even if Obama were to survive her challenge he would not survive a general election as evidenced by Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush.
In which case, Barack Obama will have had more success as Prophet than as President.
Aaron Goldstein was a card carrying member of the socialist New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP). Since 09/11, Aaron has reconsidered his ideological inclinations and has become a Republican. Aaron lives and works in Boston. 
