Posted on 07/02/2009 4:45:01 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Jim Geraghty points out an unusual item from Reuters yesterday, in which the State Department announced that Hillary Clinton would not accompany Barack Obama to Moscow next week. The nation’s chief diplomat will stay home while Obama pursues nuclear reductions with Russia, one of his big diplomatic projects, one in which observers would presume that the Secretary of State would have substantial involvement:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who broke her right elbow two weeks ago, will not accompany President Barack Obama to Moscow next week, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
“Secretary Clinton is not going to go to Moscow,” the official told reporters, saying Clinton would name a State Department official to replace her on the Monday-to-Wednesday trip.
The official declined to explain why she would not travel and it was not immediately clear whether it was because of her injury. Clinton tripped and fell in the State Department on June 17 and had surgery two days later on her right elbow.
The administration and the State Department gave no indication that the injury would impede Hillary in her official duties. In fact, she’s slated to travel later this month — but without Obama.
Jim reminds us of the leaks during the Iran crisis that had both Hillary and Joe Biden questioning Obama’s reaction to the eruption of opposition protests. Those leaks didn’t come from Obama’s people, and even at that time raised questions about whether the partnership between Hillary and Obama was beginning to unravel. Jim thinks the timing of this announcement may corroborate those suspicions:
We saw some foreign-policy disagreements during the primary, and now the secretary’s traditional role as the point person on all events, crises, and issues beyond our borders is being hemmed in by various special envoys and czars. Yesterday, the White House announced Vice President Biden would be overseeing progress in Iraq.
Is she tiring of him? Is he tiring of her? Or is this just the usual sand in the gears?
I suspect that she may be tiring of him more than the other way around. As Jim notes, Hillary has options right now; she can run for governor in New York, or she can try another run at the Senate, if she doesn’t mind bumping Gillibrand out of her old seat. Obama has curtailed her reach since she took the job, promoting UN Ambassador Susan Rice to a Cabinet-level position and appointing czars to bypass Hillary in other areas.
Obama needs Hillary more than the other way around, especially as his economic policies start to tank. He needs a strong connection back to the DLC Democrats, which Hillary provides. He also needs a fall person on foreign affairs when things get bad. If there’s a split, it will damage Obama much more than Hillary, and it would set her up for a run at him in a 2012 primary, which may be her goal if Obama falls apart at the midterms.
Such a delight is WAY overdue.
Time for Op Chaos, part Deux.
Hillary: time to play your birth certificate card.
Time to buy popcorn futures.....beer, too.
I have felt for a long time that Hillary would eventually get enough of BO and hit the trail. Also, consider this: Hillary is triangulating for 2012 and may be beginning to believe that BO is going to fail. Hillary does NOT want to be part of a failure. If she is tied to BO, she is doomed.
It was an amazing thing when the Clintons were out maneuvered by the Obama camp.
Could the First Grifters really be so politically neutered?
The Devil made me do it.
A “rift” has always been in the making. 0 thought he could “hide” her by giving her a title that didn’t mean much and she fell for it. It would appear that she is wising up. LOLOLOL
A duel of the titans. Godzilla and the Smog Monster also had trouble getting along.
Bill has disappeared as well. When his type lays low, I suspect he’s plotting and waiting.
I predict Obama will fire her shortly after the 2010 elections, if not before.
I think he had every intention of firing her once he had her completely marginalized and no longer a political threat in 2010.
She might force his hand early though... hehe
yep. you just know the wheels are spinning.
It’s her elbow. She’s staying behind for rehab. I broke my elbow and it’s the worst break ever. If she doesn’t work it and follow directions, she’ll be in pain -and lame- for the rest of her life.
I am not going to be led down a path on this story that would get everyones hopes up.
I wouldn’t be surprised if 0bama appointed an “Overseas Relations” CZAR even though Hillary is the Secretary of State...
:::::::::
And beyond that, watch Hillary run against him in 2012 as a “AMERICAN PATRIOT WANTING TO FIX THE DAMAGE OF HIS RADICAL MARXISM”.....mark my words on that one!!
The question is why the HildeBeast accepted the offer to play second fiddle to Obama in the first place. Did she think Obama was going to be a huge success and she wanted to be part of that success ?
If Hillary and the rest of the democrats are smart, they will ALL start running from Obama as fast as they can. This country is getting fed up with Obama and Pelosi’s marxist take-over of America!
I really don’t think she had a choice—she had to accept or being branded as a sore loser. I have no doubt Hill and Bill are spinning every moment of every day looking for an opening to heap a steaming pile on BO. They would like to see him fail more than you and I.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.