Hillary: Secretary of State! :p
Okay, I know I'm a day late with this, lol, but bear with me. This had been floating around out there for a little while, but now it is official. I know there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about this (Stephanie, I can hear your screams..;)), but while I have had my criticisms of Hillary during this campaign season, I approve of this pick. Hillary's a very capable person with a lot of knowledge and skill and has a lot of credibility on the world stage. I think her kind of tenacity and bold approach will be very useful in this time of turbulence and transition and I also think it's really cool that she and Barack seem to be working so well together, even after everything. Glad to see it. :) I'm also pleased that Gov. Napitolano (I know I'm not spelling her name right, but anyway..lol) will be in the cabinet as well, though I'm sad she's leaving us here in Arizona, ESPECIALLY with Jan Brewer apparently replacing her at the helm. :/ Ah well, there's always 2010, I guess..
My Thanksgiving holiday was great and now I'm back in Tucson for like another 3 weeks, before going home again for another Holiday! Time flies!
More soon,
Tara
December 2, 2008
BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com; Staff writer Juliann Vachon 2 December 2, 2008
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton said she's ready to leave New York and the Senate to return to the world stage after President-elect Barack Obama announced yesterday he would nominate his former political rival as his secretary of state.
If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, Clinton, 61, will take a lead role in the foreign policy and national security team that Obama introduced yesterday, a team most experts called experienced, pragmatic and centrist.
Accepting her widely expected nomination at the Chicago news conference where Obama made it official, Clinton said, "I will give this assignment, your administration and our country my all."
Clinton acknowledged her eight years as senator and thanked New Yorkers, but said the "best way to continue serving my country" would be to go to work for Obama in "what will be a difficult and exciting adventure in this new century."
With Clinton, Obama said he will change President George W. Bush's go-it-alone diplomacy to take on difficult and dangerous challenges, highlighted by the deadly attack in India.
"Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances," he said, saying he has "no doubt" she's right for the job.
The announcement was praised by Republicans and Democrats in Congress and by New York political leaders.
Sen. Charles Schumer called her "a terrific partner" and "a great friend" in the Senate.
Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said Obama's surprise choice of former foe Clinton showed "a lot of guts and imagination." He said Republicans should be pleased: "This is a very right-of-center foreign policy team."
For Obama, the appointment harnesses for his administration a forceful personality known around the world while reining in a rival and perhaps winning over many of her supporters.
But it also adds drama, the potential for a clash of former rivals and the wild card of former President Bill Clinton. And it drew criticism from anti-war liberals, who condemned Hillary Clinton for voting for the Iraq war.
Obama and Clinton sought to downplay past differences.
When a reporter asked yesterday about barbs Obama and Clinton had traded belittling each other's foreign policy experience, Obama dismissed them as campaign rhetoric.
After the primaries, Obama said, he looked for ways to collaborate with Clinton, whom he introduced as "a friend, a colleague, a source of counsel and a tough campaign opponent."
For Clinton, taking the post was a hard decision, said friends, because she would be giving up her independence and leaving behind a Senate seat she had felt she had won on her own - twice.
But as secretary of state, she will return to the national and international platform she enjoyed as first lady in the 1990s.
Clinton will retain her Senate seat until she is confirmed, said adviser Philippe Reines.
Clinton thanked her constituents for helping prepare her for her new role. "After all," she said, "New Yorkers aren't afraid to speak their minds, and do so in every language."
Staff writer Juliann Vachon contributed to this story
My Thanksgiving holiday was great and now I'm back in Tucson for like another 3 weeks, before going home again for another Holiday! Time flies!
More soon,
Tara
December 2, 2008
BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com; Staff writer Juliann Vachon 2 December 2, 2008
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WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton said she's ready to leave New York and the Senate to return to the world stage after President-elect Barack Obama announced yesterday he would nominate his former political rival as his secretary of state.
If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, Clinton, 61, will take a lead role in the foreign policy and national security team that Obama introduced yesterday, a team most experts called experienced, pragmatic and centrist.
Accepting her widely expected nomination at the Chicago news conference where Obama made it official, Clinton said, "I will give this assignment, your administration and our country my all."
Clinton acknowledged her eight years as senator and thanked New Yorkers, but said the "best way to continue serving my country" would be to go to work for Obama in "what will be a difficult and exciting adventure in this new century."
With Clinton, Obama said he will change President George W. Bush's go-it-alone diplomacy to take on difficult and dangerous challenges, highlighted by the deadly attack in India.
"Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances," he said, saying he has "no doubt" she's right for the job.
The announcement was praised by Republicans and Democrats in Congress and by New York political leaders.
Sen. Charles Schumer called her "a terrific partner" and "a great friend" in the Senate.
Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said Obama's surprise choice of former foe Clinton showed "a lot of guts and imagination." He said Republicans should be pleased: "This is a very right-of-center foreign policy team."
For Obama, the appointment harnesses for his administration a forceful personality known around the world while reining in a rival and perhaps winning over many of her supporters.
But it also adds drama, the potential for a clash of former rivals and the wild card of former President Bill Clinton. And it drew criticism from anti-war liberals, who condemned Hillary Clinton for voting for the Iraq war.
Obama and Clinton sought to downplay past differences.
When a reporter asked yesterday about barbs Obama and Clinton had traded belittling each other's foreign policy experience, Obama dismissed them as campaign rhetoric.
After the primaries, Obama said, he looked for ways to collaborate with Clinton, whom he introduced as "a friend, a colleague, a source of counsel and a tough campaign opponent."
For Clinton, taking the post was a hard decision, said friends, because she would be giving up her independence and leaving behind a Senate seat she had felt she had won on her own - twice.
But as secretary of state, she will return to the national and international platform she enjoyed as first lady in the 1990s.
Clinton will retain her Senate seat until she is confirmed, said adviser Philippe Reines.
Clinton thanked her constituents for helping prepare her for her new role. "After all," she said, "New Yorkers aren't afraid to speak their minds, and do so in every language."
Staff writer Juliann Vachon contributed to this story