It's hard not to notice that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's leadership is in respected ascendancy just as President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are stumbling over the largest public pitfalls of their respective political careers.
It's hard not to notice that, today, Yale University proudly awarded to alumnus Secretary Clinton an honorary doctorate of Laws, elegantly referring to her simply as "Hillary Rodham Clinton, public servant." Over a standing ovation, Yale President Levin enthused about Clinton that "we admire your bravery in confronting ancient enmities, and your boldness in seeking peace."
In contrast, it's hard not to notice that Arizona State University refused to award an honorary degree to commencement speaker Obama, or that Notre Dame University was embroiled in painful controversy over ceding a speech or awarding honors to President Obama.
It's also hard not to notice that as Obama wavers in fulfiling his campaign promise to get rid of the humiliatingly discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" military policy toward gays, the State Department under Hillary Clinton "will begin offering gay diplomats the same benefits as their straight counterparts." Writes one gay news site:
"In what can only be described as a stunning development inside an administration that's shown almost no concern for the well-being of gay Americans,... announcement is expected from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will say discriminating against same-sex loving officials is 'unfair and must end,' not just because it's morally wrong, but that 'providing training, medical care and other benefits to domestic partners promote the cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our posts abroad.' "
It's hard not to notice, once again, the heartfelt pledges and innumerable fleshed-out policies and plans presented by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, which she so brilliantly summarized in her uplifting 2008 Democratic Convention speech.
And, as President Obama breaks progressive hearts by callously ignoring campaign pledge after campaign pledge, it's especially hard not to imagine what might have been if Hillary Clinton had won the nomination instead of Barack Obama...
(As a progressive Democrat, I find it VERY hard to read "Barack Obama has betrayed everything he ever stood for" by liberal pundit Alexander Cockburn.)
As Speaker Nancy Pelosi gets battered and bruised over her inarticulate, unpoised defense of the truth and of progressive priorities, and as President Barack Obama takes deserved hard lumps for lack of planning and slyly constant political maneuvering...
... it's hard not to notice that survivor Hillary Clinton is once again shining and surviving while others falter.
And as I look back at Hillary's eloquent, feminist-tinged August 26, 2008 Democratic Convention Speech, I can't help but wonder if Michael Barone of U.S. News & World Report was right when he observed last summer:
"Hillary Clinton's Speech was a good start on her 2012 run... So much for those Obamaites who kept urging her to get out of the race."
It's hard not to wonder, if Obama continues to trample on progressive goals and the Democratic agenda, will liberals start to push for Hillary Clinton to challenge Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2012?
- Related Reading
- Hillary Clinton's Eloquent '08 Convention Speech
- Profile of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State
- William Clinton Foundation Photo Archive
(Photo taken on May 6, 2009 of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Comments
Hang on. Clinton received an honorary doctorate from Yale as Obama did from Notre Dame. The controversy came from the Catholic Church’s opposition to Obama’s support for choice, his statement that though he’d like to see reduced number of abortions, he feels Roe v Wade was decided correctly, and his reversal of the ban on stem cell research. Let’s not pretend HIllary wouldn’t have faced the same controversy (or worse?) were she speaking at Notre Dame. Notably, the students at this Catholic University were overwhelmingly supportive of Obama.
On the links you provide to show Obama’s “betrayal” of campaign promises and Hillary “shining”… they actually have reference to the same policy of military force advocated by both Obama and Hillary against extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s not a betrayal since Obama was upfront during the campaign on using force against Al Qaeda when necessary. The article makes unfounded assumptions that this is some sort of betrayal and bizarrely cites Obama being black as part of the reason for their self-created expectations. Obama even expressed support for military action against Al Qaeda in his prescient 2002 speech opposing the invasion of Iraq, (while Hillary was voting to authorize the same war: among the bigger blunders in American history). The appearance you link as an example of Hillary shining includes her eloquent defense of the foreign policy chartered by Obama, noting that he beat her in the primary and the old way didn’t work.
If progressives feel betrayed by Obama, they’d be far more likely to turn to a consistent progressive like Russ Feingold, but it is supremely unlikely any Democrat challenges Obama, certainly if he maintains approval in the 60s as he currently has.
It’s natural for tensions to linger after a hard campaign, especially one as close as the Obama-Clinton race and especially with the emotion amped up by two historic candidacies. But ultimately, as the President and Secretary of State themselves seem to have already realized, anything except working together just helps the enemies of progress.
Birchbeer, you make many excellent points here. And I do admit… my first choice for president would have been Russ Feingold.
Thanks for your thoughts!
This is such a hit job on Pres. Obama and is so blatantly one sided it is not worthy to be here. Hillary Clinton is not having to run everything she does through Congress, she is running a Department, not the entire Country. That makes a huge difference.
Pres. Obama has stated numerous times, publicly he wants DADT overturned, but is waiting for a bill from Congress, what are they waiting for, him to write the Bill for them, Maybe you should write your Great Russ Feingold a letter and tell him to get off his duff and get busy! If he is so wonderful, you have to wonder why he isn’t supporting the President’s agenda just a little more.
As far as ASU is concerned, how is that Pres. Obama’s fault that the top people of that university decided not to give him an honory degree? And in the end who looked the better person for it? I think it was the POTUS. He was well received and made a great joke out of it and made them look small and petty.
Barack Obama may not be perfect, but he has achieved more in his first hundred days for the American people than any President in my not so brief lifetime.
Your Hillary bias is showing. Wile I agree she appears to be doing an excellent job as Secretary of State, it is also a job that does not present the powder keg of issues the Presidency or Speaker of the House do. To undermine both the Speaker and the President with this column is frankly, unforgivable.
I am very disappointed in this column. It shows a total lack of respect not only for the President and Speaker of the House, but for the Democratic Party as well. It also shows that like Limbaugh, you are hoping the President will fail so you can get your first choice in the White House.
Absolutely disgraceful. Shame on you.
You are so right Mrs. White.Hillary has always excelled and Obama is only a men who cheated along w/the Democratic party to get rid of Hillary.She’s a great professional and a great leader.All the debt that Obama has put to this country is only to be paid by you guys.Pay attention to the facts, not the teleprompter! Good luck to you and save money if you can for your children, they’ll inherit Obama’s debt.
Right on, go Hillary (and even Obama).
-UM Law student
Good on Hillary. She will and is doing us proud.
The FINAL results of the 2008 Democratic Primaries and Caucuses:
Hillary Rodham Clinton: 17,857,446 votes (48.04%)
Barack Hussein Obama: 17,584,649 (47.31%)
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/D-Ballot.phtml