Clinton Moves to Widen Role of State Dept.

[elleng]

Source: NYTimes

"Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis."


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/us/politics/23diplo.html?_r=1&hp

[ejbr]

1. Go get 'em girl! n/t

[Zhade]

2. ...as long as her boss, Obama, approves, that is.

NT!

[MasonJar]

3. Sounds like everyone is way out in front of the curve. What a change and what a relief!

One of the reason a captain chooses substantial and talented people for his crew is to let them do their jobs, knowing they will be well done.

[onehandle]

4. I knew it! She's setting up a second Presidency!! ...

...or some other equally stupid comment will be left in this thread.

[pecwae]

12. And you haven't been disappointed.

[onehandle]

22. So it seems. nt

[peace13]

23. So many promises to keep so little time.

Bill is like Santa making a list of those he owes favors. Hill is the elf that will make it happen. And so goes America.

[No Elephants]

5. Never saw that coming!

[SpiralHawk]

6. "I knew it. She's setting up a fiefdom of her own!" - Predictable Personages

eom

[Thothmes]

7. Have to agree with you

she will grab as much political power as she can. JMO.

[Wilms]

8. Reminds me of Cheney and the transforming of the office he stole. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

9. expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis

What's that - a nose job so's it can be poked in where its not really wanted.

[karynnj]

14. This actually makes some degree of sense

The economy has become more and more globalized and for many problems there is an important international aspect. The financial problem is a worldwide one and trade treaties are of increasing importance. The interesting thing is how Obama will get the economic team and the state department to work with each other to avoid turf battles. The point is that Bush, in his first term, really diminished the role of the state department. Obama and every Democrat ran on using diplomacy more - so strengthening State is a very logical move. This shift might be mirrored in the Senate.

Looking at the committees that provide oversight on these international economic issues - something I found a long time ago shows that it has sometimes been the Finance committee, but it was often a SFRC function - and that is the committee that overseas the State Department. Here is a link to an oral history by the Chief of Staff to Fullbright, who headed the SFRC. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/Marcy_interview_8.pdf

Here he speaks of how jurisdiction changed based on the interests and abilities of the head. (That and the change in the needs of the times might be why, Obama is broadening the responsibility of State - both on economic issues and on taking over the "nation building" from the Department of Defense.)

" I am reminded of an incident that occurred before I was with the Committee, but with which I am familiar. When the international financial institutions were being set up, the World Bank for instance, Senator Milliken of Colorado was chairman of the Finance Committee, and Senator Vandenberg was chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Under the Reorganization Act it was clear that the international financial institutions were within the jurisdiction of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But Senator Vandenberg went to Senator Milliken, and said he didn't know anything about these international financial institutions and suggested Senator Milliken take over. So without any formal decision, that was what happened. Interestingly enough, some years later when Senator Fulbright became chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, having moved to Foreign Relations from chairmanship of the Finance Committee, I went to him and told him the story that I have just told you. I suggested that if he wanted to reclaim jurisdiction for Foreign Relations, then was the time to make it clear to the Parliamentarian. Without hesitation, Senator Fulbright said, "We'll take it." So Fulbright undid what Vandenberg had done at an earlier time."

There already were signs that the incoming SFRC wants more of a role on international economic issues. Senator Kerry has been speaking of hearings and investigations on international tax shelters (like the Cayman Islands). At a Finance committee hearing last summer, he and Jack Blum, Kerry's lead person on BCCI who was called to that hearing, spoke of the issue (loss of tax revenue to these shelters) as an international problem that needs an international solution. Senator Kerry is the only person on both the Finance committee and SFRC, which makes it likely that some of these international economic issues will move - not just at the executive branch, but in the regulatory branch.

One question I have is whether they can claim jurisdiction over international trade treaties. This would be interesting because when CAFTA was done, Kerry wrote an AFL/CIO praised amendment with environmental and labor safeguards that failed 10 to 10 in a Republican dominated Finance committee in 2005. The Democrats on the Finance committee are among the most conservative in the Senate. Shifting that to SFRC, puts Kerry (the most liberal member of the Finance Committee) with Dodd, Feingold and Boxer - as the next 3 Senators.

[dipsydoodle]

17. It would do

if it were likely that the rest of world had any trust in the USA's ability to even run a tap at present.

[karynnj]

18. I agree - but whether we "run" or we "interact" with peers,

it has to be done - and there may be reasons to have some issues run out of the state department. (I suspect that the decrease in both our military and economic status - we may no longer be the preeminent, head and shoulders above everyone else super power that we were in the 1990s - and we need to work with others.

[Zynx]

20. I've got a little news for you. A lot of countries were managed even worse than us economically.

[dipsydoodle]

21. I didn't say there were not

but the subject matter here is the USA.

[MannyGoldstein]

10. Welcome Back My Friends, To The Show That Never Ends...

I'm not so sure that Obama was wise in holding over the 24/7 traveling three-ring circus that is the Clintons.

[Tempest]

30. I fail to see how this is a bad thing

Rice all but made the State Department a subsidy of the Pentagon and the State Dept. has suffered badly from it with high turnover and low morale.

Clinton plans to reverse that.

[mr1956]

11. State Dept needs an expanded role

After 8 years of Bush the Diplomatic Corps has been decimated.

[OwnedByFerrets]

13. Gee, Imagine that....who woulda thunk it

[ClarkUSA]

15. The power to appoint special envoys, etc. should rest with President Obama, not SoS Hillaryland.

She's so predictable, trying to build an alternate base of power aka. a shadow gov't. ; Team O needs to shut the door on her
boundlessly self-aggrandizing ambitions because the last thing we need is Hillary "Cheney" Clinton for the next 4-8 years.

[Stuckinthebush]

25. Not to worry...I'm sure he will always be on top of it

She is a member of his team afterall.

[Odin2005]

16. Good. Maybe we can actually start TALKING to people now, instead of this "We don't talk...

...with terrorists" BS.

[Wizard777]

19. Considering the all the repair work that needs to be done. I think she's on the right track.

[Baby Snooks]

24. Emphasis on the expanded role in dealing with economic issues...

"...an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis."

Of course. She's about to embark on the caravan in the Persian Gulf and other far-off lands where the money is with Bubba of Arabia and his magic camel. The one with the "Two for One Sale" on its side.

We would have been better off with John McCain and Backwoods Barbie. At least there would have been no surprises.

[benld74]

26. HEY GOP THIS is known as being PROACTIVE to problems not kneejerk reaction

[LeFleur1]

27. I Don't Understand the People on DU

Obama invites a bigot who doesn't believe in equal rights for homosexuals or women and some on here say, "Oh, he wants to bring people together." Oh, it's okay to give the spotlight to a bigot who doesn't believe in the American way".

Then he appoints a true liberal to his cabinet who not only votes liberal, but tries to further the cause of liberism (one of the good things he has done) and the people on here can do nothing but tear down his choice.

Hillary will be a good Secretary of State. She would have been a good President and I can guarandamtee you that she wouldn't have had a person who doesn't believe in equal rights praying her into office.

Let's see, you don't like Hillary. You don't like Caroline. You don't like Geraldine. Is there a pattern here?

[Windy]

31. Hillary is far from liberal on many positions... you may want to look at her record...

and she is more of a hawk than Obama...

[Pastiche423]

32. Which true liberal did he appoint to his cabinet

I must have missed it, because I have heard of none.

[crikkett]

28. Imagine that. n/t

[Javaman]

29. In other words, the state dept is getting the funding it actually needs to do it's work. nt