secretary of state

Politics is a Country Club: Mubarak/Clinton Edition

by Kathryn Ciano on February 11, 2011 · 2 comments

in International, Politics as Usual

Hillary Clinton, March 10, 2009: “I really consider [Egyptian] President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family. So I hope to see him often here in Egypt and in the United States.”

If that seems shocking, consider it a bitter reminder that a great deal of politics exists precisely to protect social order already in place. Consider how entrenchment operates, and how difficult it is to change direction, especially procedural direction.

Consider the fact that President Mubarak revealed in yesterday’s speech that he intends to stay in office until September — ostensibly as a “figurehead” to ensure that everything “goes smoothly” when the government changes hands.

Consider the fact that when Honduran President Zelaya dug in his heels and refused to leave the Honduran office when his term expired under that country’s constitution, and when his countrymen ousted him per the terms of the Constitution under which they had elected him, much of the world, including American President Obama, jumped to call it a “coup.”

Consider how unwilling much of America is to end Social Security even when we know the numbers don’t add up. The system is entrenched and that’s what we know.

What makes a government work is people’s faith that it will work. If people believe their government to be untrustworthy they will seek extralegal remedies and self-help. Faith in government keeps the system ticking even when the government misbehaves.

The Clintons and the Mubaraks are friends. What these two families share in common overshadows their differences enough that they are friends.

Politics is a country club. The purpose of an energetic public — and particularly of a strong fourth estate — is to keep the country club as small and as responsive as possible.

FT says “nay” to Hillary choice for State

by Fran Smith on November 24, 2008 · 1 comment

in International, Politics as Usual, Trade

As pundits bet that Sen. Hillary Clinton is a done deal for Secretary of State, today’s editorial in the Financial Times calls it a poor choice for a variety of reasons. In the piece extolling President-ele

ct Barack Obama’s picks for his economic team, the FT says that’s not the case for Hillary and hits her lack of experience, her ambitions, and her personality.

Economics aside, the biggest surprise among Mr Obama’s rumoured appointments is Hillary Clinton, whose selection as secretary of state is said to be “on track”. This is a far more questionable choice, since Mrs Clinton is so lacking in foreign policy experience. The appointment gives rise to unhelpful speculation about the new president’s motives. Is he attempting to bind his party’s wounds? His victory already did that, and governing well would assure a full recovery. Is he attempting to neutralise her as a rival for the presidency in 2012? If things go badly for him, it will take more than this to quell another Clinton bid.

Could Mrs Clinton subordinate herself to Mr Obama, and devote herself to making his presidency a success? That is doubtful and, with many far better qualified candidates available, is a risk there is no need to take.

CEI has criticized that choice for different reasons — Sen. Clinton, who has strong anti-trade, anti-globalization positions, would not temper the in-coming president’s lack of support for trade, which could cause not only more economic problems for the U.S. and the developing world but also geopolitical ones.