Dr. Susan Rice: Ready to Lead on Day One?

[babylonsister]

Susan E. Rice was the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from October 1997 until January 20, 2001.


Ready to Lead on Day One?

Posted December 26, 2007 | 04:56 PM (EST)


Senator Clinton today launched her campaign's closing argument based on the theme "Big Challenges, Real Solutions: Time to Pick a President." Her message is that only she has the experience and the readiness to lead on Day One. Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd and Governor Bill Richardson could justifiably take issue with this message.

But, it is not directed at them. Her target, rather, is Barack Obama whom Bill Clinton deemed a "roll of the dice," his own far lesser foreign policy experience as a presidential candidate notwithstanding.

Is Senator Clinton really better suited than Senator Obama to lead on Day One?

Clinton argues her years as First Lady give her unprecedented insight into foreign policy and governing. But what would she do as president on Day One and thereafter?

So far, Senator Clinton has said she would convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draft a plan to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq within 60 days and send her husband and a suitably senior Republican (TBD after George H.W. Bush and Colin Powell demurred) on a listening tour of the world.

Beyond these statements, we know relatively little about whether, on foreign policy, Senator Clinton in fact has "real solutions" to our "big challenges."

Senator Clinton is right about this: President Bush will leave behind an unprecedented mess. An ill-conceived and disastrous war in Iraq, an emboldened Iran, a reconstituted and more diffuse Al Qaeda 2.0, frayed alliances, damaged international institutions, an over-stressed military, a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, a coddled Pakistani leader on the precipice, accelerating climate change, democracy demagogued, China rising without much attention much less constraint, Russia growing more autocratic and provocative, going on five years of genocide in Darfur, and the moral detritus of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, torture, the abuse of habeas corpus and warrantless wiretaps.

The next American president will have a serious job to do to clean up this mess.

He or she will need exceptional judgment, vision and energy to do so. He or she will need to be unbound by conventional wisdom and unfettered by the need to defend the successes and to obscure the failures of any previous administration.

He or she will also need concrete, credible and bold policy prescriptions for how to tackle these pressing problems and be open with the American people about those policies while still a candidate, so that the voters can elect a president with a clear mandate to govern.

Senator Obama has been comprehensive and exhaustive over the course of the campaign in laying out his foreign policy. Voters don't have to guess what he will do on these issues. They just need to listen and read.


more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-rice/ready-to-lead-on-day-one_b_78339.html

[jillan]

1. This is what the people of Pakistan think about Obama

Pakistan: Obama remark 'irresponsible'

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-03-pakistan-obama_N.htm

[jefferson_dem]

6. I wonder if *they* still think it was irresponsible since the main suspects

are the terrorists Obama said we should go after.

[ccpup]

2. it would be helpful to know

that this woman is currently serving as a foreign policy adviser to the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

[MethuenProgressive]

4. A paid Obama staffer getting paid by HuffPo for an anti-Clinton prObama fluffjob?

Shocking, ain't it?

[MethuenProgressive]

3. More prObama anti-Clinton stuff from HateHillington Post.

:boring:

[Evergreen Emerald]

5. co-chair of his campaign, under Madeline Albright--who supports Clinton

Thanks, I will take the word of Albright over a biased underling.

[jefferson_dem]

7. Thanks for posting.

Based on Hillary's previous mis-judgments, i'm not real clear on where she wants to lead us, other than into places like Iraq.

[wyldwolf]

8. She's an Obama advisor... yes?

[babylonsister]

9. Yes? So? She has worked for other Dems. Google her name. nt

[wyldwolf]

10. she's a surrogate for Obama.