At the end of this first year full of Obama, and Pelosi and Reid and Rahm, who is looking really good and solid among the Democrats? Hillary. She has made all of the right moves since the primaries of 2008. Whether you agree or disagree with her views, she has not generated the divisiveness the President and his staff have.
The first thing she did absolutely right was to avoid a place in the Obama Administration that took her anywhere near domestic policy. As Secretary of State, she has not only avoided all of the pitfalls of those closer to the Obama legislative agenda but she has garnered the patina of an international expert on world affairs who takes no prisoners. Few could have stated the obvious to a tentative ally as Clinton did in October saying that “…she finds it “hard to believe” that Pakistan couldn’t get al Qaeda’s leaders “if they really wanted to.” [ABC News]
In Copenhagen for the UN Conference of Climate Change, she was instrumental in breaking a stalemate in offering US funding for underdeveloped countries with important stipulations.
1. any deal [would] have to include “active national actions” to cut carbon emissions, transparency on those actions and money to help poor countries also cut carbon emissions.
2. the US [would] not increase its target to cut carbon emissions by 17 per cent on 2005 levels by 2020.
3. US would be willing to help the poor world cut greenhouse gases by providing short-term funding immediately of around $10bn (£6bn) per annum by 2012 and $100 (£60bn) by 2020.
Mrs Clinton said a lack of transparency will be a “deal breaker”. [Telegraph UK]
While health care reform was an important plank in her primary campaign, Hillary has remained above the health care fray throughout 2009. She learned her lessons the hard way as the point person for Bill’s Task Force on Health Care on the hill in the early days of his presidency.
It wasn’t just that she was a presidential spouse taking on something more than her function would have traditionally allowed; it wasn’t just that she was a woman putting forth a tough agenda. She ran up against the forces that have pushed back health care reform for almost a century. Husband and former President, Bill Clinton, did go up to the Hill at the 11th hour to help push the Health Care Reform Bill but it was at Reid’s invitation. [The Hill] In short, Bill and Hillary know where the political potholes are and schedule their days accordingly.
Things have not always gone smoothly on her diplomatic watch this year. She encountered resistance to women being in her role in several countries. But she persevered and in the process, her polls here in this country have taken off. She has ended the year with numbers any politician would envy – especially a president. In a December Clarus Research Poll,
…800 registered voters who are self-identified “news watchers,” [gave results that showed] Clinton had a 75 percent approval rating and a 21 percent disapproval rating overall. Obama, in contrast, had a 51 percent approval and a 45 percent disapproval rating. …. [Politico]
Best of all, with all of this good light shining down upon her, the Secretary of State has assumed the role of Mother of the Bride. This role gives her another venue to further endear her to the home audience.
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December 27th, 2009 → 10:02 am
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December 29th, 2009 → 11:37 pm
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