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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dick Morris and Eileen McGann :: Townhall.com Columnist
Hillary's Incredible Shrinking Role
by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is finding that her job description is dissolving under her feet, leaving her with only a vestige of the power she must have thought she acquired when she signed on to be President Obama's chief Cabinet officer.

Since her designation:

• Vice President Biden has moved vigorously to stake out foreign policy as his turf. His visit to Afghanistan, right before the Inauguration, could not but send a signal to Hillary that he would conduct foreign policy in the new administration, leaving Hillary in the role of backup.

• Richard Holbrooke, the former Balkan negotiator and U.N. ambassador, has been named special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He insisted on direct access to the president, a privilege he was denied during much of the Clinton years.

• Former Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine), negotiator of the Irish Peace Accords, was appointed to be the administration's point man on Arab-Israeli negotiations.

• Samantha Powers, Obama's former campaign aide, who once called Hillary a "monster," has been appointed to the National Security Council (NSC) as director of "multilateral affairs."

• Gen. James L. Jones, Obama's new national security adviser, has announced an expansion of the membership and role of the NSC. He pledges to eliminate "back channels" to the president and wants to grow the NSC's role to accommodate the "dramatically different" challenges of the current world situation.

• Susan Rice, Obama's new United Nations ambassador, insisted upon and got Cabinet rank for her portfolio, and she will presumably also have the same kind of access to Obama that she had as his chief foreign policy adviser during the campaign. Continued...
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About The Author
Dick Morris, a former political adviser to Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and President Bill Clinton, is the author of Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race. To get all of Dick Morris’s and Eileen McGann’s columns for free by email, go to www.dickmorris.com
 
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(35 comments so Far)
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Reply # 1
Date: Feb 13, 2009 - 8:37 PM EST
Gullible Dunderheads - 2
Hillary is out of the Senate, buried and out of sight, out of mind at Foggy Bottom – State’s location in D.C. and a description of State based on some grasp of history – as much as Obama wants to isolate her there in insignificant, bureaucratic chores while others perform the functions of SecState, often in the limelight. Some circumvention of the Constitution even had to be done for Hillary to take the job at a lower (or the same) salary than her predecessor since Bush raised the SecState pay when Hillary was a Senator.
There is also a nasty story circulating via emails about how Bill and Hillary were convinced for her to take the job.
Credentials, in part: Retired military officer, advisor to Presidential appointees, political and public relations consultant, 40 years in D.C. area and with close ties there, plus professor of international relations and national defense courses.
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Reply # 2
Date: Feb 13, 2009 - 8:36 PM EST
Gullible Dunderheads
AH in MI could not be more wrong in his analysis of the Morris and McGann analysis. AH offers no credentials or facts as M&M do. AH offers only half-vast opinions and feeble, muddled attempts at humor based on the ridiculous behaviors of the Clintons and Albright.
More in line with method, credibility based on credentials and agreement with M&M I believe Obama has both the Clintons right where and how he wants them.
Unarguably they were the greatest threats to Obama’s Presidency. A Clinton supporter – Phillip Berg- was the first one to file a lawsuit challenging Obama’s eligibility among the three dozen or so, some if not all, still active. Obama owed Teddy and Caroline Kennedy a debt for their endorsement that lifted him out of some of the mire of his nefarious best friends and co-workers in Chicago thug politics. Obama tried to pay off on that by getting Hillary out of the Senate and replacing her with Caroline. NY Gov. Paterson threw a monkey wrench into that scheme.
In accepting the appointment as SecState Hillary opened herself and Bill to yet another publicly-reported examination of their finances and other shady dealings. Bill has a spotlight on his before then somewhat less known profiteering as ex-President on payments from Arab Muslims and others. (cont.)
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