A Test Of Rivals

CBSNews.com Analysis: President-Elect Obama's Nomination Of Clinton Highlights Past Differences

(CBS)  This analysis was written by CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs.

---

With his economic group largely assembled, President-elect Barack Obama today unveiled a foreign policy and national security team notable for including both a current member of the outgoing Republican administration and his major political opponent in the Democratic Party. By doing so, Mr. Obama is putting his oft-repeated desire to assemble a “team of rivals” to perhaps the ultimate test.

The retention of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense fills two needs for the incoming president as prepares for extraordinary challenges both at home and abroad. First, it provides some practical stability in the midst of two wars, one in Iraq where circumstances have changed in the past year and one in Afghanistan that has become a greater focus for the Defense Department. Secondly, it fulfills a campaign promise to include Republicans in his cabinet, and not in a minor position at that.

But the selection of New York Senator Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State is a far more complicated and curious choice. On the single greatest foreign policy issue of the past decade, Mr. Obama and Clinton took opposing sides and those differences created the biggest flashpoints in their battle for the Democratic nomination. In fact, Mr. Obama may never have gotten the chance to select a cabinet of any kind were not for his opposition to the war in Iraq from the very beginning.

Then an unknown Illinois state senator, Mr. Obama delivered a barely-noticed speech outlining his reasons for opposing the use of force in Iraq while Clinton voted for it in the U.S. Senate. By the time the presidential campaign rolled around, Mr. Obama had joined Clinton in the Senate and while his voting record was similar to hers on Iraq-related issues, his initial opposition had become very attractive to a Democratic Party hungry for change, particularly on the war.

Clinton responded to Mr. Obama’s growing candidacy with an argument of experience, one that culminated in one of the most memorable ads of the campaign, the “3am” ad. "It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep,” the ad began. “But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call. Whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?"

Despite having not even vetted Mrs. Clinton to be his running mate during the campaign, Mr. Obama has answered that question by ensuring in a very real way that both will likely be involved in any of those phone calls. Less clear is whether the two former opponents will respond with one voice. For much of the past year, Mr. Obama countered Clinton’s claims of experience with criticisms of her judgment. Now both are going to have to swallow their words in common cause.

In their comments during today’s announcement, both made clear they plan to do just that with Mr. Obama bestowing his “complete confidence” in Clinton and the nominee responding by pledging to give the job “my all” and praising Mr. Obama’s election. But Mr. Obama at the same time made crystal clear that he would be setting policy for the administration and expects his appointments to carry out his vision.

Past campaign differences aside, Clinton brings some obvious strengths and weaknesses to the job of the nation’s top diplomat. She’s instantly recognized all over the world and has relationships with many foreign leaders. Her focus on foreign policy and national security in the senate provides depth to a new president relatively inexperienced in world diplomacy.

But, as the wife of a former president with wide-ranging world interests and relationships of his own (all reportedly thoroughly vetted by the Obama team), Mrs. Clinton will have to make sure to present a united front with Mr. Obama from the get-go to avoid perceptions that she is operating outside of the new administration.

These latest additions to Mr. Obama’s team may signal a more cautious approach to international affairs than he indicated during the campaign but also a recognition that experience is as much desired in his administration as change. And with economic concerns dominating the agenda, Clinton and Gates provide a solid base on the security front.

In a practical sense, Clinton’s arrival at the State Department “will immediately send several signals to foreign leaders,” said CBS News’ State Department reporter Charles Wolfson. The selection says “that the new occupant in the White House is not afraid to have former political rivals in positions of power and influence and that he is sending a strong personality already well known on the international stage to move his foreign policy objectives forward.”

Still, Clinton “will inherit a plateful of problems,” says Wolfson. “Ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may top the agenda but Iran and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions will continue to be front and center and Washington’s relations with Moscow and Beijing are always a major concern.” Mr. Obama has chosen his former political opponent to help him handle such issues which, if not on the front-burner, are of enormous import to his presidency.

In announcing his new choices, Mr. Obama stressed the pragmatic nature of the team, which also includes former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder for the top spot in the Justice Department, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security, retired General James Jones as National Security Adviser and adviser Susan Rice to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. (Click here for all the latest information on Mr. Obama's cabinet choices.)

“To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power -- our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example,” Mr. Obama said. “The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that. … They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world."

This team is certain to have that pragmatism tested early and often, no member more so than Mrs. Clinton. Questions asked of the president-elect in this morning’s press conference were focused as much on their past differences as anything else and those questions are unlikely to go away anytime soon.

[spinproof]

Posted by spinproof at 07:40 AM : Dec 02, 2008

Settle down Francis. I''''m sure when she voted for the raise for the aforementioned cabinet position, which is the responsibility of Congress, she had her crystal ball and realized whe was actually giving herself a future raise. Stop being a nincompoop.

Posted by cntrymuzksux at 10:32 AM : Dec 02, 2008

The U.S. Constitution didn''t make any exceptions on the issue and you can''t add exceptions on the fly to suit your purposes! Sen. Clinton is in violation of the Law of the land. The Law is the Law unless you''re special, above the Law or exempt like Republicans think they are!

[bjcone8559]

The selection of Clinton and several other extremely powerful cabinet members is a clear indication that we elected a strong and competent leader. Just as real men don''t need to drive corvettes as an extension of their manhood, strong leaders are not afraid to hire strong helpers.

[cntrymuzksux]

BS!! The U.S. Constitution clearly states a member of Congress can''''t vote on a pay raise for a Cabinet Post and then occupy that Post which is what Sen. Hillary Clinton is now doing! Ignoring the U.S. Constitution is in season so what else is new, Republicans made it fashionable.


Posted by spinproof at 07:40 AM : Dec 02, 2008

Settle down Francis. I''m sure when she voted for the raise for the aforementioned cabinet position, which is the responsibility of Congress, she had her crystal ball and realized whe was actually giving herself a future raise. Stop being a nincompoop.

[spinproof]

Hillary haters at it again. She hasn''''t broken any Constitutional laws.

Posted by beader59 at 03:36 PM : Dec 01, 2008

BS!! The U.S. Constitution clearly states a member of Congress can''t vote on a pay raise for a Cabinet Post and then occupy that Post which is what Sen. Hillary Clinton is now doing! Ignoring the U.S. Constitution is in season so what else is new, Republicans made it fashionable.

[assemblyofso]

CHANGE WE CAN BELEIVE IN

Vote for me and help me clean up Washington!!

Vote for me and we will get rid of the Washington insiders!!

Looks like we are going to get what we voted for????

[mildlyinsane]

"orgone": your very first sentence exposed you as a buffoon, just like your comical hero. As for your latent homosexuality, you''ll come out in due time. Don''t fight it! By the way, did you forget about all the gay Republican scandals in the last few years?
Check it out. Stop putting your head in the sand and be brave enough to admit that all the people that spook you are to be found EVERYWHERE! Even in the mirror. Ditto to the above "ditto-heads" who adhere to the Rush Limbaugh mentality. Loosen up! Go out and have an ice cream with a good friend. get your mind out of the Limbaugh gutter. Peace.

[gaye5]

A house divided against itself cant stand, I give it 3 and a half years before everything crashes. And I dont mean Obama will crash. All these people who think that they are powerful, who want a one world government hmmm...

[nolalou]

What is REALLY funny is how Democrats complained bitterly about President Bush''''s policies - and now Barack Obama is becoming Bush''''s third term.

Change? Looks like "Stay the Course" to me!

Maybe the Democrats are trying to grow up in a hurry...

Posted by CBSisPravda1

How do you consider Hillary Clinton an extension of Bush''s 3rd term? He is temporarily keeping one member of the current administration, Defense Secretary Gates, and he will be answering to a new president intent on getting our troops out of Iraq.
There will be new cabinet officers at all other departments, a new Attorney General, a new financial team, and most of all a new Vice President who dosn''t think he''s above the law and the constitution!

[demdump]

Stock keep falling -590 after Obama selected his team...

[specialty8]

Look at Hillarys picture, she looks like she was beaten by this so called national security team.

[specialty8]

Beader,
The only ones that hurt his so called image was the Clintons,They were called racist for attacking the choosen one as was everybody else.I guess Obama is going by the old saying"keep your freinds close and your enemyies even closer.

[beader59]

Hillary haters at it again. She hasn''t broken any Constitutional laws. Bill is being vetted and I am sure Obama is not going to allow for anyone to hurt his image anymore, he has enough of that. She is an excellent choice for Sec of State, get use to it.

[desertdwellr]

What a Joke Clinton for Secretary of State - It took the Clinton administration three years -- and the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica -- for the Clinton administration to stop the genocide - one of the worst humaitarian crimes in history.

[deadmaverick]

BOOORING...looks like the developmentally disabled group out on the field trip stumbled onto a computer and started posting under names like keystonebull and william908

[demdump]

Stocks fall sharply on Obama team....

[antoniof123]

Posted by Seafang at 02:33 PM : Dec 01, 2008

You don''t really have a clue do you in fact she is qualified to be anything because the only restrictions that the constitution has is age for Rep''s, Senator''s and the President. In fact there is no prereq''s for the Supreme court.

Sorry to burst your neo con bubble. Do they really have a clue as to what they are talking about.

[byebyeneocon]

I lived in Penn for a year, and was damned glad to leave.
Posted by byebyeneocon
===============
Ane we were glad to see you leave. We are gradually weeding out un desirables like you.

Posted by keystonebull


Last time I checked, there was big exodus of people out of Penn. Probably due to morons like you.

[deadmaverick]

poor repub fools LOOOOOOOVE to hang out in public bathrooms and make friends- how sad...what about that haggard tool, too- and dear old Newt, he''s a model of fidelity...poor old Maverick left his wife for Botox Barbie, and now SHE is alleged to have a lover...wow- the party of morals is flushing itself down the krappper!!!! at least you still have Palin to give us comic relief

[demdump]

A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn''t just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington DC, during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence," Bush told ABC.

So this is Bush fault ????

Go away politician..

Posted by william908
--------------------
And you can go back to reading your Ayn Rand. She will comfort you...