Comments on: Samantha Power Joining Obama Team

By: Sylena

Sylena — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:16:49 +0000

Personally, I just have to laugh.

By: Eneils Bailey

Eneils Bailey — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:29:52 +0000

I don't see a problem here.
Give her what she wants.
Keep her ugly ass in Washington.
Damn if I want to see her snooping around my place after dark.

National Security Team..? huh.. sounds good to me.. that girl would make any dog bark in the dark... that will serve National security well..

By: Brett

Brett — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:27:45 +0000

I opposed appointing her as Secretary of State from the beginning, and I'm actually feeling slightly vindicated up to this point. Not because of the Power hiring decision, but because of the idiocy of firing Dybul from the US Aids effort.

By: Thomas Jackson

Thomas Jackson — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:18:56 +0000

Nothing but the best for President 666!

I always wanted to see a politburo in action in the WH.

By: Dantheman

Dantheman — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:07:20 +0000

"I strongly suspect there is going to be some head butting and back stabbing before this is all over"

Will Hillary keep some information from the NSC, or will she speak truth to Power?

(sorry -- couldn't resist).

By: just me

just me — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:00:32 +0000

I suspect Obama is going to micromanage form the white house.

Problem for Obama is that I don't think Hillary is the type to be micromanaged or to be a figure head. I strongly suspect there is going to be some head butting and back stabbing before this is all over-the real question isn't whether it happens IMO but who gets the knife in the back.

By: markm

markm — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:28:34 +0000

...earthy bugger...

By: Venomous Kate

Venomous Kate — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:09:59 +0000

This administration, for all of its efforts to prove that it's "big" about putting past differences aside, is going to find itself bogged down by those very same past differences. Because they aren't in the past, really. Not as long as there's another election 4 years away and positioning for it to be done.

By: PD Shaw

PD Shaw — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:15:09 +0000

The Team of Rivals analogy isn't apt here. The original team of rivals were all Presidential aspirants. Some of them didn't like each other, but primarily they represented different factions of an emerging party and could draw strength from those factions.

Power doesn't strike me as having the clout to contend with here. And as far as ideology goes, don't Power and Clinton both hail from a similar activist foreign policy wing? Policy wise there would be far more contentious picks.

By: Former Obama Aid, Samantha Power to be appointed to Foreign Policy Job; at the White House | Political Byline

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:34:27 +0000

[...] Power Line, Hot Air, The Atlanticist, Pajamas Media, Little Green Footballs, Outside The Beltway, Patterico’s Pontifications and [...]

By: Jim Henley

Jim Henley — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:48:28 +0000

Dave, absolutely. It does make one wonder why she took the job. Structurally, the SoS is always going to be at a disadvantage to the NSA, I think, because the NSA is in the building with the President more.

On the other hand, Hillary is a grownup, and you have to figure she made a considered decision.

By: Franklin

Franklin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:38:12 +0000

I don't know if this helps, but Power has apologized at least twice to Hillary. So I'm not sure if there's really any animosity left there.

So if the SoS vs. NSC dynamic is always going to be there, I'm not sure why it should be better or worse than usual. Feel free to educate me.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:35:38 +0000

Most modern secretaries of state haven't been Hillary Clinton.

By: Jim Henley

Jim Henley — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:14:29 +0000

Haven't most modern secretaries of state played second fiddle to the NSC head?

By: Matthew Stinson

Matthew Stinson — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:46:51 +0000

This sort of thing might be a (drum roll) problem from hell for the White House to manage.

Seriously, though: I think Power could only be brought on board as a low-profile adviser, not a major voice in the administration. Obama can't possibly forget that the Clintons have long memories and a big capacity for revenge.