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Hillarysworld -> All things Hillary -> Hillary Rodham Clinton widens her circle at the State Dept. (WaPo 3/10/10)
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TOPIC: Hillary Rodham Clinton widens her circle at the State Dept. (WaPo 3/10/10)
Jen the Michigander


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Hillary Rodham Clinton widens her circle at the State Dept. (WaPo 3/10/10)
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This is a loooong article, so I will only post a few highlights.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/10/AR2010031003440.html


One loyalist inside the agency, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, suggested that Clinton is stretched too thin and has not narrowed her goals or developed signature issues that will define her tenure. "What bothers me is that we're planting zillions of seeds . . . speeches on every issue, but where's the thematic coherence?" this aide asks.

Stewart M. Patrick, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who worked at the State Department under Colin L. Powell, agreed that Clinton "seems to still be struggling with priorities" and questioned whether she has a "grand strategic vision."

But, he added, "there is no question from a public diplomacy standpoint, she has had a lot to offer in different parts of the world" because of her star power. And he noted that inside the agency, "people invested in the institution are quite happy with things. Here's a woman who everyone expected to be circling the wagons and running the place with a small coterie and that hasn't happened."

I thought this part here was especially interesting:

Clinton had one condition that eclipsed all others as she considered Obama's offer to be secretary of state: She demanded hiring authority at the department. To Team Clinton, this meant every political job -- about 200 -- from the most senior level to the 20-something researchers. Historically, it is the president who fills these political positions, and no one can recall a Cabinet secretary in recent memory requesting and receiving this kind of hiring latitude.

So rare are Obama people at the agency that Alec Ross -- an Obama campaign Internet star who aggressively sought to work for Clinton -- is jokingly referred to as the "Obama guy."

Guarding the door at Foggy Bottom last year was a trio from the top echelon of Hillaryland. Among them -- Cheryl Mills, who was deputy counsel in the Clinton White House; Hillary Clinton's White House chief of staff, Maggie Williams; and Tamara Luzzatto, her Senate chief of staff -- they knew everyone who had ever worked for Clinton over the years and who hoped to join her at State. They also recruited high-profile experts who had not worked for Clinton -- but neither were they associated with Obama.

Of the three, only Mills joined State, as Clinton's chief of staff, along with other longtime confidants and charter members of Hillaryland: global women's expert Melanne Verveer; protocol chief Capricia Marshall; her Senate spokesman, Philippe Reines; traveling aide Huma Abedin; speechwriter Lissa Muscatine; and Jacob Lew, Office of Management and Budget director under President Bill Clinton and a deputy secretary of state.

There were inevitable resentments when Obama supporters and loyal campaign workers were not hired at State. "The president was very supportive of her desire to build her own team," said one senior Clinton adviser who spoke on the condition of anonymity, "but the news didn't filter down to the staff level. . . . Yes, there were tensions."

I liked these, too:

Several career employees said they were caught off guard initially by Clinton's level of engagement in internal management, particularly coming on the heels of her more reserved predecessor, Condoleezza Rice. On her first tour of the building, before she was sworn in, Clinton requested a budget briefing. Kennedy said it soon became clear what she meant: not an overview, but a line-by-line review that took three sessions to complete.

Shamila Chaudary -- a self-described "backbencher" -- had toiled for years as a faceless expert on the Pakistan desk when one day she found herself invited to brief Clinton. Chaudary, 32, said the two sparred over whether it was prudent to engage non-governmental power centers in Pakistan, with Clinton expressing skepticism.

Chaudary held her ground, making the point that "we've been seen as not engaging with them, and it's hurt us a lot." She said that although she and Clinton "didn't necessarily agree . . . she said that it's very important for us to debate like this. . . . This is how she said she wants to do business."

Within 48 hours of their meeting, Chaudary was promoted to a front-line job in the office of policy planning.

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freespirit


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What a good article, Jen. I'm glad she held her ground, and insisted on complete autonomy in terms of hiring. The level of animosity that the Obama supporters and staff held for the Clintons during the 2008 primary was off the chart, almost irrational, it seemed at times. Had Madam Secretary hired any of the Obama loyalists, chances are, there would have been internal conflict, rumors and insinuations designed to make Hillary look bad, leaks to the press, constant rivalry, etc.





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Ebinger


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I came here to post this article, then I saw you'd already beaten me to the punch. It WAS a good, solid, pro-Hillary article especially considering this is the WaPo we're talking about. She is shining in her job as SoS, as the article implies, and widening circles is a good thing to do before "testing the waters" and plunging in.

This has got to be my favourite part, this simple sentence:

Her job-approval ratings top President Obama's.

biggrin They just don't "top" his, they far exceed his.

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Sanders


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Fantastic article... Hillary is proving to be a phenomenal executive. She knows the value of constructive disagreement and empowering people. She has truly expanded her sphere of influence greatly over the past year, not to mention her highly expanded sphere of concern given her role. Remarkable person.

Yes, Ebinger, she has really topped his ratings by far and the gap is widening!!!

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Jen the Michigander


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"Topping" Obama's ratings would put Hillary's approval ratings in the mid-to-high 40s. But according to the latest polls that I have seen, her approval rating is 66 percent while he's down at 43 percent. That's way beyond "topping."

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Building 4112


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We knew you the winner was, and she definitely knew the risk, and she handled her concern
in a professional manner. She's not a person of mere words, and this shows in her deeds.
The reason she tops is because she is no phony.

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Sanders


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I think her ratings will go up once again after this week's news coverage.

For sure, her position on Iran is proven to be the better one.

She gave a great speech at the Women of Courage award at the State Department yesterday.

Yesterday she was appointed by Pres.Obama the arbiter/approver of India's Nuclear situation audits.

Today she got phenomenal coverage for her position with Israel; this on the heels of VP Biden's visit to Israel.

And next week, she is giving a speech at AIPAC.

Got to love it! :D

-- Edited by Sanders on Friday 12th of March 2010 04:51:35 PM

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Eminence


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Pictures from the "Hillary Clinton adds new energy to State Department" photo montage accompanying the Washington Post article...

PHO-10Mar10-210825.jpg
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses the media at a news conference during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. After a presidential campaign that was known to be insular and unhappy, many wondered what kind of style she would bring to the State Department.


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Eminence


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PHO-10Mar10-210826.jpg
Clinton purchases a shirt at the Heal Africa clinic in Goma, Congo. Patrick F. Kennedy, undersecretary for management and a senior Foreign Service officer said “We have had other secretaries of state who have cared deeply for the institution. None who have done as much internal outreach.


 PHO-10Mar10-210827.jpg
Clinton lays a wreath next to the Eternal Flame during a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.


 PHO-10Mar10-210828.jpgClinton speaks to the media at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq. Clinton deplored the uptick in bomb attacks against Iraqis and said the 'reaction from the Iraqi people and Iraqi leaders was firm and united in rejecting that violence.
PHO-10Mar10-210829.jpg
Indian Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, left, looks on as Clinton, center, talks to officials during a visit to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, India. India and the United States can jointly devise a breakthrough plan for fighting climate change that will generate massive new investments and millions of jobs, Clinton said during her trip.

 PHO-10Mar10-210830.jpgClinton smiles as she interacts with members of the Self Employed Women's Association, a non-government organization, in Mumbai, India. Despite some critics who say she's handed off too much power to special envoys, analysts also note there is no question from a public diplomacy standpoint, she has had a lot to offer in different parts of the world "because of her star power."


PHO-10Mar10-210831.jpg
Clinton arrives for a news conference with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani in Doha. Clinton urged Iran to reconsider its “dangerous” nuclear policy, saying Tehran's stance left the world little choice but to impose “greater costs."

 PHO-10Mar10-210620.jpg
The secretary of state is known to pop into offices unexpectedly and has even held internal town hall meetings to listen to gripes about everything from policy to cafeteria food.
PHO-10Mar10-210623.jpg
Clinton, with husband Bill at her Senate swearing-in, brought staff members from her time on the Hill and on the 2008 presidential campaign trail with her to State.
PHO-10Mar10-210625.jpg
“At the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Clinton rallied her party behind its presidential nominee: “Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines."
PHO-10Mar10-210621.jpg
Clinton's leadership of the State Department has featured the themes of partnership, and engagement and common interests. And she has put a priority on working with emerging world powers.

 PHO-10Mar10-210631.jpg
Clinton at the State Department morning meeting. Her role in the Obama administration has often been to play the enforcer where the president strikes a more conciliatory tone.



-- Edited by Eminence on Friday 12th of March 2010 05:11:12 PM

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