Next possible Defense secretary: Hillary Rodham Clinton?

[babylonsister]

Let the speculatin' begin! :popcorn:


Next possible Defense secretary: Hillary Rodham Clinton?
By Russell Berman - 08/16/10 09:15 PM ET


Speculation in the nation's capital on who will replace Robert Gates at the Pentagon has centered on an intriguing possibility: Hillary Rodham Clinton.

snip//

Clinton may seem an unlikely choice to head the Pentagon, but she has won praise for her performance at State and forged a strong relationship with Gates. Many supporters argue she has the most credibility with the military of any Democrat and would be a logical choice to take Gates’ place at the Pentagon.

“The military loves her. They love her,” said Leslie Gelb, a former president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Gelb floated the possibility of a Foggy Bottom-to-Pentagon move for Clinton in a Wall Street Journal op-ed earlier this year.

The appointment of Clinton to replace Gates would be historic. The former first lady and presidential candidate would be the first woman to serve as Defense secretary and only the second person – after George C. Marshall – to have served as both secretary of State and Defense.

“That might appeal to her,” Gelb said.

more...

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/114557-next-up-for-pentagon-chief-hillary-rodham-clinton

[elleng]

1. Been waiting for this slot for Wes Clark!

and Hil can remain at State!

[dipsydoodle]

2. might appeal to her

The well know pronoun. :rofl:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. absolutely not.

it will be a GOPer. A retired senatwhore or congresscritter. Conservative. VERY conservative. And we on the left will again feel like, Wa da fu?

[babylonsister]

4. How do you know that? nt

[dionysus]

6. gotta feed the outrage one way or another. facts and truth need not apply...

[karynnj]

11. I'm not so pessimistic

There are many retired military, out for sufficient time, who have been more moderate - and some backed Obama. If Gates delays his leave until after Obama is renominates, Shinsecki left, who left in 2003 is a possibility. Gates has said that he wants out in 2011 to avoid his replacement having to be nominated during the re-election campaign. This means that whoever takes the job may have it for just a little over a year. He may have already waited to long if that is his real concern. (Putting Clinton there creates a similar problem with needing a new SoS)

When did Wes Clark leave the military?

[Dr Morbius]

5. It's a step down for Mrs. Clinton.

State is the highest department in the executive. Hillary Clinton is perfectly placed right now, in my opinion, and it's certain that she would be in a better position politically in 2016 should she desire to continue in politics at that time by remaining at Foggy Bottom.

George Catlett Marshall served as secretary of war (as the department of defense was then called) prior to becoming secretary of state. Defense is a lesser position than state, simple as that.

[leftofcool]

10. +1000

[karynnj]

7. Well, Hillary did closely back Gates on pushing Obama to a more hawkish stand

than Biden, Kerry and Reed were proposing. I think results have shown that the concerns of Kerry and Reed that the plan was too ambitious given the ability of the Afghans to take over with good governance and security.

I think an excellent choice would be Reed. He is very smart and a West Point graduate. He would be easier to sell to everyone. He voted against the IWR and has been a reliable liberal Senator, so this could please the left. As a veteran of Vietnam and a West Point graduate, he likely is more acceptable to the military than Clinton, Gelb not withstanding. (He has many of the virtues for why I would like Kerry here - with none of the anti-war history. Additionally, Kerry is far better situated in the Senate as Chair of SFRC, where he has impacted US foreign policy. )

Reed was elected in 1996, so he is not a committee chair, but he does chair subcommittees. He is about 61 years old - unless Johnson does not want to be banking committee chair (he is second to Dodd), I don't see which committee he is likely to get. Still, he might not want to consider this until after Obama is re-elected. RI is the most Democratic state in the union, so it is likely that he would be replaced by a Democrat.

As to Hillary Clinton, if the reason that she wants to leave the SoS is that it is a burnout job with a lot of travel, why would she want to take on a job that has the same characteristics. If anything, it would take longer to learn "the culture" there.

[saltpoint]

8. It could happen.

I hope it doesn't.

[Perky]

9. I don't see it State has more Prestige and DOD is very bureaucratic

That job require a technocrat and someone who has a record of running large organizations.

[Beacool]

12. This was proposed a few months ago.

Hillary does have the respect of the military brass, but would she want the job?

:-)

[bigdarryl]

13. don't bet on it Obama will pick another RETHUG mark my word

[SoxFan]

14. Doubtful

More likely, it will be someone with a strong working relationship with Hillary. Ellen Tauscher, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and a former member of the House Armed Services Committee, would be a good choice. The only issue could be her recent treatment for early-stage esophagal cancer.