Perhaps more than any other member in Obama's "team of rivals," Clinton has had to walk a fine line: to prove to the president and his loyalists (to say nothing of a rapacious press corps) that his former primary opponent would be a trustworthy team player, restraining her own foreign-policy inclinations to bolster and never undermine his. Channeling Obama's vision while making the secretary of state job her own has required impressive self-restraint amid a host of foreign leader powwows, interagency meetings, and appointments. Not lacking for opportunities to seize the megaphone, Clinton appears to have carefully calibrated the amount of individual voice, vision, and volume she has projected so far, perhaps with an eye to gaining a measure of trust that will ultimately enhance her effectiveness.
This sounds about right to me. Except for some unfortunate Iran comments early in her term, Clinton has largely kept to the Obama line and strayed less often than, say, Joe Biden (he of the "well, if Israel's gonna bomb Iran, hey, that's their call" sentiment).
But if our Secretary of State doesn't believe in negotiations with Iran, it'll be interesting to see what happens if a fully recovered Clinton winds up being an instrumental player in those talks.
I await her speech with interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment