Team of Rivals Getting Along Just Fine

Anyone who reads this column regularly knows that I love irony. I saw irony as a major undercurrent-theme in the 2008 presidential election cycle, particularly for Democrats. One major irony was over foreign policy. Barack Obama was criticized by just about everyone as inexperienced, and incapable of handling the crushing obligations of foreign policy. And one of the loudest voices was Hillary Clinton, whose challenge to Obama in this area probably peaked with the "3 AM" ad, asking "Who do you want answering that call?" As I have already said, ironically it is Hillary Clinton who will be answering it, but she will be saying, "Obama Administration, this is Hillary, how may I help you?"

Just over 3 weeks into the new administration, it appears that Obama's major problem is dealing with his former Congressional colleagues, who all seem to have turned against him in one way or another. The amen chorus of the Democratic Convention seems a long time passed. Partisan rancor seems just as rank as it was under Bush. In fact, now that the Democrats don't have a president to hate any more, they seem to have lost their cohesion and are now spatting with each other, too. Politics surrounding the stimulus bill have become a quagmire of political landmines. Getting the President's Cabinet full has transformed into a reality show. And the president himself has retreated to what he seems best at: campaigning. Barely three months after election day, President Obama is already back on the campaign trail trying to resuscitate his image.

What is going well seems to be foreign policy. And the two people who seem to most responsible for this are Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. While both are being overtly careful to make sure and use the words President Obama every other sentence or so when they talk about it, these two are shaping up to be quite the dynamic duo. As I have also said previously, I believe that Clinton and Biden genuinely like each other. I don't know how much this may have to do with it, but it can't hurt to have the two highest ranking Cabinet officers be buddies. Biden and Clinton over the last two weeks have coordinated a very slick partnership on the foreign policy portfolio, and seem to have folded Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and fresh-minted CIA Chief Leon Panetta neatly into the mix. The Team of Rivals looks less rivalsome than the rest of the government. Obama will -- and should -- get credit for this, but I'd say the personalities involved also deserve praise (so far) for a job well done.

Naturally, as incoming Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton did the phone bank day, officially introducing herself to foreign leaders around the world. Since, the State Department has made timely and measured announcements about its' and the Administration's positions and the direction forward. Clinton has done little grandstanding, all her public statements have been substantive, and she has stayed on task, kept out of the Obama Drama(s) now that hers is over. Joe Biden has been Joe Biden for the most part, presiding over the slowly unfolding Cabinet installations, getting the ball rolling on his middle class task force, and hitting a few photo ops that demonstrate his promise to "be in the room for every decision." Biden has also, very smartly, resisted what must be a burning itch to wade into the Congressional melodrama.

Leading up to the Munich security conference last weekend where Biden, as I predicted, was fully in his element, the Biden-Clinton portfolio pass-offs started. Secretary Clinton started with high profile meetings with the British and German foreign ministers, who obviously have strong input at the Munich conference. While US-Russo relations are taking the front row in the media right now, Biden also talked extensively about the Middle East and Afghanistan in Munich, while State was deploying Special Envoys to those places at the same time. Biden and Clinton also seem to be putting full court press on reopening US-Iranian relations, and both are taking a very positive tack on it. Clinton started substantive diplomatic overtures toward Iran this week in saying that the US and European allies need to engage Iran directly to stop nuclear proliferation in Iran, and Biden said in Munich that Iran would be offered "meaningful incentives" for the same. Biden also smoothed the road for Clinton to take over the "China file" by making public statements indicating the US would not press China on currency manipulations, marking a departure from the Bush era US-Sino relations. Clinton immediately had a "working lunch" with Secretary Geithner followed by the official announcement of her Asian tour. Now, more details are coming out from State about an extended leg of the trip with stops at a Gaza conference in Cairo, the next day to Israel, and Geneva three days later where she will meet with the Russia foreign minister. Biden spent a good deal of his time in Munich making kissy faces toward Russia, echoing Clinton's open-armed approach.

Critics are saying that Clinton has been rendered powerless by virtue of being upstaged by high profile special envoys like Mitchell, crowded out of the White House by the National Security Adviser (an ancient battle) and shut out of policy crafting by resigning from the Senate. The first thing that should be noted is that with only a few exceptions, high level appointments at State were Clinton's picks, endorsed by the President, not the other way around. If Secretary Clinton didn't want George Mitchell on the Middle East, he wouldn't be. Clinton, with the support of Secretary Gates, has made it clear that State will be expanding both in scope and in staff, and transitioning all diplomatic duties away from Defense and back to State. That takes people, and something as important as, say, Afghanistan, probably warrants a special envoy, thus freeing the Secretary to take a broader view of foreign policy. That Clinton is being passed actual diplomatic missions like getting the doors open in Iran and confronting China's Asian hegemony, and reengaging Russia is a sign of confidence from the President. Biden and Clinton are doing exactly what they should, developing a seamless template for globe wrangling. Things at home are heading south for the President, but his Team of Rivals is working very well so far.