Posted on 01/04/2013 3:53:53 PM PST by jazusamo
WASHINGTON — It's a long way from playing volleyball at Beverly Hills High School to being the most powerful woman in Washington, but Michele Flournoy could cap such a remarkable journey if President Obama selects her as Defense secretary.
Flournoy, little known outside the world of military policy, is on the shortlist to lead the Pentagon in Obama's second term. She would be the first woman in that role.
An inveterate policy wonk who first worked in the Pentagon under President Clinton and later co-founded a respected think tank, Flournoy, 52, has spent two decades climbing to the top of Washington's notoriously male-dominated national security establishment, winning the admiration of military officers and politicians from both parties even as she remained out of the spotlight.
Although a child of Hollywood — her father was a TV cinematographer, her mother a onetime theater actress — she long ago abandoned Los Angeles for the distinctly unglamorous world of defense policy. She never served in uniform but has been at the center of her generation's most important debates over the future of the U.S. military, from arms control in the Reagan years to the counterinsurgency strategies employed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When Obama took office in 2009, Flournoy returned to the Pentagon in the department's No. 3 position — undersecretary of Defense for policy — but resigned last February, saying she wanted to spend more time with her three children.
Now, chances have increased that she may return, this time in the top spot. Weeks ago, White House officials began floating the name of former Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a Republican, as Obama's likely pick. But that possibility has encountered fierce opposition, largely from other Republicans, because of Hagel's past criticism of Israel and early opposition to some sanctions against Iran.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Interesting.
Looked her up on wikipedia.
‘Rat Ivy league CFR inside the beltway type.
A Southern California galpal for SECDEF.
I’ve lived too long
If she worked for Bubba she can’t be worth having.
Yep, she’s worked in the Dem machine and for Obama, wouldn’t be a surprise to me if he picks her but am not familiar with her.
Name the last one that wasn't. Sec of War Stanton maybe?
/johnny
I would rather have nutty Michele than the insane Hegal as SecDef. But I think the choice or either is a faulty dilemma.
Like McNamara? (spit)
/johnny
AMEN!
That position usually goes to someone with more experience. They’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.
If it was up to me, I would change the name back to
The War Department.
why not... what could possible go wrong
The builder was stuck with them ~ Mc wouldn't pay for them, and their strange design (yellow brick with sandy surface) made them unfit for most any other purpose, and then when people heard who bought them, they didn't want them around.
When this neighborhood was new several of us had trouble growing grass between the curb and our sidewalks. I'd decided that if I could get enough brick I"d just fill it in and give me a nice brick walkable edge to my sidewalk ~ all at the same height.
This was perfect, and then when I found out these were McNamara's bricks I realized that my sidewalk could become the very center of neighborhood society because all the guys ~ all of 'em were Nam Vets ~ would come down, bring a six pack, and just stand around hosing and joking, drinking beer, and letting the world know what we thought of McNamara.
Over time the story of the Viet Nam vets with the special platform spread, and next thing you know I had an order or two from Australia from vets there who sought at least one of these fine bricks to put to an appropriate use ~ similar to ours ~ starts out with Foster lager, ends up with a hose job on a brick.
Now mind you, I didn't go to Nam personally ~ but I went into the Army ~ and during that period of my youth lost 14 friends in Nam, so I hated this McNamara puke with a burning passion ~ still hate him. So I sent out the bricks and they probably still bring joy to many folks in Australia.
Around here I passed out a few of them, and even got in some Freeper requests. By then the contract Mexican road builders had come along and I had to remove the ceremonial bricks, which is why they're in the backyard patio.
Age and health has dictated I give up beer, and most of the vets here were in the Ethiopian Army fighting against AlQaida in Somalia ~ those guys drink coffee. Korean guy next door is a Nam Vet, and there's a Jamaican down the way, and a Marine, and a Vietnamese guy, and others ~ but they don't drink, are getting old, or they are not quite sure who McNamara was ~ so we don't hold the beer parties anymore ~ but there's the story.
Let me judge this woman ~ Flournoy could probably do worse but that's not likely.
Leni
Precisely, and the LA Times puff piece confirms it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michèle_Flournoy
Big time beltway lib but probably better than Chuck Hagel (not saying much).
The ongoing agenda to pussify America.
She looks like a cross between Sally Field and George McGovern!
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