The argument that Barack Obama should fire Hillary Clinton comes to us today from Jeremy Lott (via Instapundit) who is essentially noting that American foreign policy went into the manure pile this week and today may be the worst day of all (so far, things could be worse, but ‘tense’ is the best adjective to use). Jeremy is taking the ‘command takes responsibility’ position; and while he recognizes (just like everybody else*) that this failure to anticipate events on the ground is ultimately the responsibility of the Commander in Chief there’s plenty of blame to spare for the Secretary of State. To put it bluntly, and to use Jeremy’s example: George W Bush had Donald Rumsfeld symbolically resign over a mere flipping of Congress. Surely Hillary Clinton should resign for letting an Ambassador get murdered in cold blood.
But there’s a difference between ‘should’ and ‘will.’ Let us not mince words: Hillary Clinton is about the only person left in the Democratic party leadership who could believably run for President in 2016. Joe Biden is a fool. The C0ngressional leadership are snakes, showing signs of mental decay, or both. The various Democratic governors are generally presiding over failing or failed states, and the most effective one (Cuomo) is going to be utterly unacceptable to Big Labor. It’s Clinton or nobody – and while Barack Obama would happily throw Hillary Clinton under the bus in a heartbeat, there are some constraints placed on him by his own party. Following the President’s lead blindly so far caused the Democrats to get eviscerated in 2009 and 2010: forget Congress, their loss of state legislatures across the country – just in time for redistricting! – quietly blighted many a promising career. Surely the Democrats recognize that there must be a limit to how much damage an endangered, embattled, and execrable President may be allowed to do to his own party organization.
Mind you, I could be wrong about that. Possibly the Democrats will allow Barack Obama to eat yet more of their seed corn. Maybe they’ll let him lose 2016 while he’s losing 2012, too. You can imagine how broken up I’ll be about that…
Moe Lane (crosspost)
*Even the apologists for the President recognize that Obama is responsible for this mess. They won’t admit it, but they recognize it. Oh, dear, did I just type that out? How vulgar of me.
I think it’s much simpler than that: Hillary knows too much. Many of these failures lay at the feet of Jarrett and a “revealing” interview or two with Clinton, showing just how feckless Obama is and just how much power he cedes to an unelected advisor (who ranks her own SS detail) would be CRUSHING to HIS 2012 hopes.
That’s my take, at least.
Rahmbo is using this crisis in Chicago to separate himself publically from Big Labor for a White House run (Big Labor will win in the end but Rahmbo will sell – he’ll stand up to them).
Never gonna happen. Emmanuel just doesn’t have the likability factor.
I just want one interview with Clinton saying: “I don’t know why Obama is surprised; I put it all in our daily security briefings to him.”
First, he can’t do it NOW — too close to an election. Second — you really think Hillary doesn’t fit “snakes, showing signs of mental decay, or both”?
From a rational perspective, your view does make sense. The question is: “Is Obama rational?”
Considering how he has behaved, especially on the campaign trail, I’d say that I have no idea on what he is going to do. I could see him easily throwing anyone under the bus, because he will never admit to being wrong.
I don’t think Hillary ever recovered from being treated like an equal. I think the “Reset” button knife in the back (A beautifully set piece I must admit. Obama showed he was a national player, humiliating his biggest rival on international TV, while she has to sit there and smile) took her taste for power. Note how she didn’t fight all the foreign policy “Czars” at all, and despite all the pushing from Bill, no primary run was seen….
Team Clinton don’t care who wins 2012, they’re betting it all on 2016, either as the one who can make Obamacare work right (because, Hillarycare) or the one who can get us back on track after Romney. (make no mistake, the first 2 years of Romney, if he wins, are going to suck .. but they’ll suck pretty much regardless because, hangover)
That said, Obama won’t fire her until after the election, if at all .. not because 2016, but because PUMA. Team Clinton doesn’t care who wins in 2012, but they can extract some favors for their DLC (or whatever Team Clinton re-named it) allies in 2012 and 2014 by not blatantly working against Obama.
Mew