Free Republic

WASHINGTON – In moments of great peril and uncertainty, the question of who actually runs Washington – who they are, what they think, what they know, what they think they know – takes on even more importance than it might under normal circumstances. In this, the first in a three-part series, Asia Times will examine the current power dynamics that shape the Biden White House and his national security team. Needless to say, the most important players in Washington are, as one might expect, the ones closest to the President, even if, for the most part, they remain unknown by...

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with Philip Gordon, who held the Middle East portfolio at the National Security Council from 2013 to 2015 (and before that, served as assistant secretary of state for European affairs) about my Atlantic article, “The Obama Doctrine.” The piece tried to explain how the president understands the world, and America’s role in it. (This week, the president is on a tour of the some of the countries he discussed in the article.) Gordon, a loyal Obama man, is, like his ex-boss, somewhat-to-very fatalistic about the ability of the U.S. to direct the...

When I started at the White House in March 2013, I was among those who advocated increased assistance, including military assistance, to the Syrian opposition. Secretary of State John Kerry led the diplomatic effort to rally and unify our key partners, who all pledged to support the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) as the legitimate representatives of Syrian people and to channel military support to the Supreme Military Council (SMC), then led by General Salim Idriss. It was not long, however, before it was apparent—at least to me—that this approach would not work. The SOC was weak and out of touch...

In one of the newly release Hillary Clinton emails, a mostly redacted message from Philip Gordon to Huma Abedin and Jacob Sullivan ends with, "To quote Huma, I don't get paid enough." Abedin, Clinton’s closest aide, was able to change her fortunes with a little help from friends. In 2012, Abedin transitioned to being a "special employee," meaning she could hold several jobs in addition to her role at the State Department. Presumably, that meant she got a raise. As the Washington Post notes, At the time, Abedin held four jobs with four different employers — an arrangement allowed by...

i24news has learned Philip Gordon will meet with top officials despite unprecedented Netanyahu-Obama tensions As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to address Congress on Iran, raising tensions between Washington and Jerusalem to unprecedented levels, a senior White House advisor is expected to arrive in Israel, i24news has learned. Philip Gordon, who has been serving for the past two years as a special assistant to the President and as White House coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, is arriving in Israel on February 15 and will meet with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials. His talks are...

Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are in the midst of a fundraising binge, and it appears there is nowhere the two White House hopefuls won't go in search of dough. Next week, the Obama campaign will hold two fundraising events in China. The candidate himself won't be making an appearance. Instead, guests at the Bejing home of David Brooks, a Coca Cola executive there, will hear from two senior foreign policy fellows from the Brookings Institution who advise the Obama campaign, Ivo Daalder and Phil Gordon. If the June 17 appearance does not satisfy, American expatriates in China can...

By James A. Barnes, National Journal © National Journal Group Inc. Monday, March 31, 2008 If potential presidents can be judged by how they run their campaigns, then how they staff those efforts may provide important clues to the kinds of talent they would recruit for their administrations. Because Democratic front-runner Barack Obama is a relative newcomer to national politics, an examination of his inner circle of political and policy advisers offers new windows into his thinking, leadership style, and sources of expertise. The Democratic front-runner's team has a relatively shallow bench, but its political achievements thus far are quite...