Quote:
Originally Posted by 12thMan
So with all that's going on globally, you think Sec. of State is an "outmoded" job? Okay, I guess the same could be said of Vice President and a few other cabinet posts as well. Hell, why even have the position at all? Just appoint a team of ambassadors to be the face of diplomacy for the United States. Why not.
I think more than ever, this cabinet position is critical to how we deal with and negotiate foreign affairs. With two wars going on, Bin Laden still on the loose, and a host of other regimes forming, for the life of me I don't see how this is an irrelevant position. Not to mention that Obama will be utterly consumed with our domestic economy, he'll need someone who has the balls (sorry Hill) to wander off the ranch every now and then.
Actually, 70, I think you should fill out that 63 question application and apply for the position yourself.
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It could be critical if the President wants it to be. If not, he has other options. Richard Nixon opened China, made detente with The Soviets, prevented war between India and Pakistan, got rid of Pinochet, and stoped shipping gold to Europe. Do you know off the top of your head who his Secretary of State was? All the power in the executive branch rests with The President. If he wants to allow her to have power he might, but he doesn't necessarily have to.
BTW, his name was William Rogers.
Furthermore, Obama's peronality strikes me as one who woud prefer to keep decision making as close to himself as possible, especially as it relates to the State Department. The State Department is like this:
1. They move slowly. When the President makes a decision he wants it to be executed. He doesn't want round after round of introspection and meetings. If know one has told him this already, he'll figure it out pretty quickly.
2. They leak. If they don't like a policy direction, they run to the press and try to derail it.
3. They're naive. They seem to believe everything and anything that their foreign counterparts tell them. They are still in search of that elusive "Iranian Moderate" that's always just out of reach, as an example.