baahhh baaahhhh little sheep

Just a little rant..... It continually amazes me how ignorant some people are. At least this guy likes Hillary Clinton... but again, more examples of stellar garbage. My response was too long for the comment field on his post, and I doubt he would care what I think anyway, so I am posting it here.

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While I share your respect for Hillary Clinton, a question your evaluation. The White House has certainly not taken power away from the State Dept. -- under Obama & Hillary, State has nearly doubled its diplomatic corps, and almost daily Sec. Clinton is outlining State Dept. policy and agenda, and more than doubled USAID money and participation in a host of global initiatives.

I also question your idea that Clinton is in some way marginalized -- obviously you read the headlines that say she was, but the actual facts tell a different story. Clinton was the point person along with Biden and Gates on Afghan policy, and has done the advance work for every diplomatic trip Obama has taken. She also negotiated the bulk of the new START treaty, and along with John Kerry brought Pres. Karzai in Afghanistan into lock step with US policy / desires. Not to mention... I could go on and on and on, but the point is: Hillary Clinton is US foreign policy, and without her, Obama would have stumbled very bad already. What she has proven as SOS is what she claimed on the campaign trail in 2008: that she has the gravitas and experience to bring foreign leaders -- even hostile ones -- to the table. The reason she "dropped off the radar" is because she shattered her elbow -- not sure if you've ever broken a bone in a joint, but it is one of the most painful and debilitating things that will ever happen to you if it does. The fact that she was only down for a WEEK with it alone makes her super human.

Now, as for "Hillary 2012," -- please. Anyone who seriously thinks that Hillary Clinton will challenge Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2012 (or ever again) really has no idea what they are talking about. She is a member of Obama's cabinet -- there is no way, even if she resigned as SOS, that she would attempt to oust her own president. It would be political suicide. Unless Obama doesn't run again or is out of office by 2012. The more likely scenario -- if there is one at all other than her continuing as SOS -- is that she will step up and replace Biden as VP in '12 which will position her perfectly to win in 2016. Particularly becaus eshe has kept her nose clean of Obama's mistakes, and cannot be held accountable for a thing the Senate does any more. She is -- for a change -- above the fray and almost politically bulletproof. And 78% approval ratings, including 56% approval among Republicans is pretty nice, too. She doesn't NEED Obama to get elected, but trying to beat him again would kill any chances she has. (Which are considerable. At this time I believe that most people see her as the most serious contender for the presidency overall.)

Sorry to jump all over you. But this is a pretty immature evaluation of the political situation in America, particularly as it concerns Democrats and the "Hillary constituency." She is a genius and a political encyclopedia and she has been in the forefront of politics since the 1970's -- she knows the rules, the traditions, and how it works. And she's not going to buck the system in a way that would be detrimental to her reputation among Democrats or really anyone, but particularly she is not going to piss off the people that will elect her. There will be no "I told you so," moment.