1996: Clinton Considered Jamie Gorelick for CIA Director

The Washington Post Archives | December 3, 1996 | John F. Harris

[nwrep]

WOMEN'S GROUPS SEEK ENTRY TO PRESIDENT'S INNER CIRCLE; GORELICK CONSIDERED FOR CIA

December 3, 1996

President Clinton faces a choice as he returns this week to the business of staffing his administration for a second term: He will either make history by appointing a woman to one of the top spots on his national security team, or risk sorely disappointing many of the very voters who provided his margin of victory in last month's election.

This ambivalence is playing itself out in the drama over whether Clinton will name U.N. Ambassador Madeleine K. Albright to be the first female secretary of state. While declining to make Albright's appointment a litmus test for Clinton, top women's advocates said they would regard it as a setback if Clinton does not name a woman to one of several vacancies in top national security jobs that historically have been the province of white men.

"It would be a real blow, and it would be fairly blatant," given how Clinton ran as an advocate for women, said Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women. "Foreign policy is a place where women really do need to make some breakthroughs."

Besides Albright, the woman cited most frequently by administration officials as likely for a top national security job is Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, who is being considered for CIA director.

[Former Proud Canadian]

OMG

[nwrep]

PING

[nwrep]

PING

[headsonpikes]

On the bright side, that would have taken some of the burden off Monica!

[rod1]

Whoa--what a choice.
Gorelick for CIA; Albright for UN. With those how could you possibly go right? We were VERY lucky we survived those 8 years of Clinton.

And we have Condi--what an incredible difference in competence.

[MizSterious]

Oh good grief. All though the Clinton years, I (and a lot of people I know, including many here on FR) said that Clinton was a danger to the country. I actually recall this particular item now that it's been brought up again, but I'd forgotten it--and I'm not sure I understood (at the time) just how bad an idea this was. If memory serves, I believe I thought it a looney idea--now I know it could have been lethal.

[EllaMinnow]

Well, we dodged a bullet on that one!

With Gorelick in charge of the CIA, we wouldn't have had 9/11 - because we'd all have been dead before 2001.

[OldFriend]

Problem is.......three thousand americans did not survive the previous administration's incompetence, vileness, and corruption.

[DoctorMichael]

What th' &%$#!

[Lucky2]

This just shows that hillary was in charge all along or clinton was ever more stupid than we thought. Either way, we must never allow people like the clintoons to be elected again... This is even more of a wake up call to re-elect President Bush. A john kerry administrataion would be a mirror image of the clintons with a new Monica!

[freebilly]

Well, he thought about getting a Gorelick, but later he determined that he needed his own lick. That's how Monica got the job....

[snopercod]

That's pronounced GORE-LICK!

[Just mythoughts]

".....top national security job is Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick, who is being considered for CIA director."


This does make total sense. So maybe Gorelick was the stealth CIA director, wonder how many times she met with bill or hillry. Considering that bill never has time to meet with Tenet, could it be that Clarke and Gorelick met with Tenet and Clarke and Gorelick kept Hillry updated.

Could it be that the most brillant lawyer in the world was actually in charge of the CIA and DOJ?

[HOYA97]

You are good!

[Just mythoughts]

"On the bright side, that would have taken some of the burden off Monica!"


I don't know maybe it was not bill the one being serviced?????

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

You know I told my wife in '96 that we might not be able to survive 2 Clinton terms without serious damage to the nation. Imagine, it could have been EVEN WORSE.

[hchutch]

Whoa... this is just...

I mean... My brain needs to process this.

[iceskater]

I think the only reason we survived the Clinton years is the prayers of faithful people.

It sure wasn't because Clinton was looking out for the safety and well-being of the country. And there are 3,000 dead people who really shouldn't have died.

Their blood is on his and Gorelick's hands.

[iceskater]

Get out the duct tape first, k?