www.facebook.com/iransecularii

Few interesting point of views

Thomas Friedman:

The important question, the answer of which is not at all clear
to me, is about the only relationship that matters for a secretary of
state -- the kind of relationship he or she would have with the new
president. My question: Is Obama considering Mrs. Clinton for this job
in order to get her off his back or as a prelude to protecting her
back?...

When it comes to appointing a secretary of state, you do not want a team of rivals.

David Broder:

Clinton is the wrong person for that job in this
administration. It's not the best use of her talents, and it's
certainly not the best fit for this new president....

The last thing Obama needs is a secretary of state carving out
an independently based foreign policy. He needs an agent, not an
author...

Even if Hillary Clinton were ready to play such a subordinate role,
which she might be, in return for a promise that her voice would be
heard in the most serious policy debates, the presence of Bill Clinton
makes that a doubly difficult assignment. The former president has,
through the Clinton Global Initiative and his own extensive foreign
travels and worldwide contacts, made himself a force in international
affairs. It would be unfair, and unlikely, for him to shut down his own
private foreign policy actions because they might conflict with his
wife's responsibilities. But foreign leaders would inevitably see Bill
Clinton as an alternative route toward influencing American policy. And
he would be unlikely to remain silent.

Charles Krauthammer:

With her out of
the way, Obama is not going to have to show up in Iowa or New Hampshire
in 2012. He has now cinched the renomination.

Stonecipher Report

Jwilkes begins the article with a point I agree with, "If there’s
one thing every single American voter should have learned about Hillary
Clinton in this election process, it’s that she concedes nothing." 

This is specifically the reason we should not
make Hillary Clinton the Secretary of State, particularly after eights
years of the hard-headed lack of negotiating skills possessed by the
Bush Administration.  The last thing this country needs is
a Secretary of State perceived by the rest of the world as cold, rigid
and unwilling to bend on anything.

Jamshid

"Don't worry, Biden is no better than Clinton, and he already is your vice president."

When 2 engineers are talking a laborer doesn't butt in to ask where his shovel is. What do you know about Biden and Clinton's differences? You mention it yourself and yet you conclude they are the same!

David ET himself is something. One day he is fighting with Q about IRI the next day he doesn't want Clinton to fight IRI.

You guys just dream IRI day and night! It's like imagining you guys screaming in frustation time and time again: IRI oh IRI! ahhhhhhhh ooooooohhhhhhh aahhhhhhaahhhh IIIIRRRRRIIIII!

Re: Obama fans

I don't understand what the problem is. Why worry about Clinton? For crying outloud, Obama chose Senator Biden for his vice presidency and that was ok for Obama supporters.

Was Biden, a man who wants the US to work with Iran's "young democracy", any better than Clinton who wants to "obliterate" Iran? 

Was Biden, a man who despite protest from Iranian-American human right activists, still attended a campaign dinner, setup by Namazi, a well known IRI middle man in the US, any better than Clinton?

That dinner attendance was a spit on all those who were fighting for human rights in Iran.

Don't worry, Biden is no better than Clinton, and he already is your vice president.

A Dumb Question!

As a member of the Democratic party does Obama have the right to choose his cabinet or is the cabinet chosen for him?

Unless he's been give carte balnche to start a dictatorship, I don't see how Obama could actually "choose" his cabinet.

He'll have to accept whoever is decided by the majority of the members of his party. U.S. is a democracy, after all.

Also, if Clinton has no experience in foreign affairs, Obama doesn't have any experience in running a country, either. What of it?

A great democracy like the U.S. is not run by a person or two.

Sorry...

I was not referring to you specifically so I apologize for the offense.

Your points are interesting and challenging. 

:-)

Dictate ?!!!!!!!

I am not dictating anything. I am expressing my view and I have all the rights to do so, as you do. Asking others to be quiet is dictating.

and its not only me, it is 10's of thousands of people nationwide from top to bottom who are questioning this potential choice of Obama (just read the news and blogs ) and its best we (those who oppose it) express our views before than after ! and if he still makes the decision , then he was told about it and if things hit the fan , he can not claim he didn;t know and will be held accountable. (and trust me I know that many within Campaign are not happy about it and he is now aware of it, the question is how many PEOPLE state their view tthrough different channels)

Anyway I have done my piece of opposition different ways , because this is a very important post that can effect the future relationship of US with the world and we all know that we have much more qualified people than Hillary for this specific post.

I personally actually like to see Hillary in the cabinet , but in a position dealing with national policies such as health, environment etc where she really can be helpful and has more knowledge .

Hillary has NO foreign policy experience  (except some ceremonial ones as wife of a president). During campaig she had to make up two lies about Ireland and Bosnia to try to prove her experience.

So chosing her is not based on qualification and experience but pure politics (sound familiar? No CHANGE  is it??!) and that is what stinks about this possible assignment.

David

I absolutely agree with everything you say.  We do need to hold our government responsible.  I think  your comment  "sharing views and keeping people involved is the way to assure the best
decisions are made."  best sums up my willingness to have Hillary as his SOS.  I'm sure that's not exactly what YOU meant...lol.

You might not like her.  So what.  You might think she's backstabbing.  So what.   You might think Obama is selling out.  So what. 

You voted for him because you believed he'd make a difference.  Now you want to dictate how he's going to do it.

Give the guy a chance!!!!!

David jan

Although I agree with you that electing them alone is not enough, I also think that people have different views and ideas about what their elected candidates  are supposed to be doing.

You seem to be more shaken by the news of Clinton being considered as SOS, I may be more concerned with the fact that Lieberman would still keep his position in HS. You might go about showing your concern in a different way than I do too.

We're different, and we react differently and we have different visions and ideas. Just because one of us is right, it doesn't make the others wrong or against democracy or even the ones to be blamed for the IRI reign.

Some people may show more tolerance and look at everything from different angles before jumping to conclusion.

IRANdokht

Political Color Blindness

Obama was the best choice among the candidates that had a chance at winning and still is. I would still
campaign for him today if he was not yet president. But that has nothing to do
with today that he is choosing his cabinet or tomorrow that he becomes
president.

One thing Iranians should learn is that democracy is not about staying on the
scene until your candidate is in and then going home!

Democracy is an going living thing and it dies the minute THE PEOPLE stop
watering it and not stay involved.

That is the mistake Iranians made after the revolution. Everyone who
questioned the new government or Khomeini was told to be quiet and give then time and
by then it was too late ! (still there are those who are giving them time after 30 years of failing!) ...There are no similarities between US and Iran but the
concept of staying involved is the same. We Iranians have been too long been
conditioned to dictators and heroes and we think we should stay quiet in either case.

But in a democracy you campaign and vote for the best candidate and THEN YOU HOLD
THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR PROMISES and STAY INVOLVED .

Being a yes man is not being a true supporter, being active participant and
sharing views and keeping people involved is the way to assure the best
decisions are made .

Political Leaders are human and they are no saints and in a democratic system
they do respond to public when enough speak their mind at all times.... and if not
you vote them out next time.

my goodness!

Did I really hear you say that this is a man's world and that sending a woman as SOS was laughable?

And to think that I thought this was going to be an actual debate on something.  Nothing could be more of a waste of time than discussing the issue with that attitude.  But of course, you're of the same party that couldn't foresee a black President.  No.. not just couldn't "foresee" but WOULD NOT VOTE FOR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, no matter how worthy. 

Keep on with the little jabs.  It's nothing more than an annoying mosquito buzzing around uselessly.

Hillary Clinton has too much

Hillary Clinton has too much of her own baggage and her own agenda. Hillary brings too much drama and no experience in foreign affairs.

Obama Administration must have ONE agenda: The Obama Agenda.

Bill Richardson should be first choice. The election was won with the hispanic vote. He is the sole hispanic being considered for any cabinet position thusfar. He has successfully negotiated with the most difficult world leaders for years. Latin America has been neglected for eight years. A Richardson appointment would send a positive signal to this region and indeed the world that Obama is serious about creating substantive dialogue.
Richardson has been dumped on by the Clintons in the past including when he was pulled out of the UN Ambassadorship to run the DOE. Richardson cleaned up the security disaster and even won health benefits for nuclear workers. When Richardson came out in support of Obama, Hillary reamed him over the phone for several minutes and I believe threatened to do exactly this- get herself the SoS job. A position that she is not suited for but one in which she can appoint her many wealthy contributors to ambassadorships. (That is the part SoS's job.)

X1

You are a little too overjoyed by seeing one Obama supporter's negative tone.

take it easy dear!  :0) 

most of us who voted for him support him too. don't be too quick to give yourself credit! 

IRANdokht

Honestly I am shocked

I gave obama supporters four months before they start whining about being beterayed and so on..... essentialy waking up from their zombie state of mind.
I am shocked, it's not even two weeks, and folks are complaining! come on BO supporters give him some time....

Now seriously, BO is smart he should choose some talented tough guy as secretery of state.He could even choose a muslim guy for all I care. This is still a man's world regardless of how you slice it. The idea of having a woman as secretery of state visiting male dominated socities specialy muslim one's where women are not valued much, trying to make a difference is laughable. we saw that in Rice now we have to see it in this one? so much for change we can belive in....

Obama

is not a fool OR foolish.  You can be sure he's going to vet Hillary much deeper than anyone else.  And certainly more than McCain vetted Palin. For all this harping about Clinton III or Hillary stabbing him in the back, get over it!!!  Obama is NEVER going to be the lame duck president Bush has been with Cheney running everything in the background.  Nor is he going to let petty differences get in the way of making a sound political appointment.  You're forgetting Hillary left with 18 million votes.  There are apparently ALOT of Americans who agree with her.  Regardless of their personal differences, they can make a strong and effective team.  I mentioned it elsewhere that it makes no sense to cut off your nose to spit your face. 

To the nay-sayers.  We hear you.  We know we're going to hear from you every time he makes a little slip.  We know where it's coming from.  We support Obama because he is the best man to get us out of this shithole we're in.  You're not going to like or support a thing he does.  But that's cool.  He's elected.  He's YOUR President.  You decided if you're going to respect or disrespect him.

It would be a shame!

//www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/17/christoph...

Hitchens said, "This is the woman who played the race card on Obama... This is the woman whose
foreign policy experience consists of making a fool of herself and fabricating a story about Bosnia."
He also brought up the Clintons' overseas fundraising connections and called the idea of Hillary Clinton
as Secretary of State a "ludicrous embarrassment."

Clinton III

So far a future Obama administration is looking a lot like a Clinton III administration without a Clinton to head it.  I was never on that Obama bandwagon (here in Canada, from vantage point of an outsider). Barack has shown himself to be a “player”, an evolutionary not a revolutionary as he has put it himself.  To call him an outsider is a joke; the guy is a two term senator after all.  He should be given more time, mind you, but if his idea of change is a recycled version of the past then his presidency will be remembered only for its symbolic value and its good PR for the US.  There is already hints that the “no enrichment” policy will be Obama’s approach towards Iran too, in which you all can kiss diplomacy goodbye because Iranians ain’t gonna respond to that shit.  Yes, Hillary would not be a good choice for Secretary of State. It's a befuddling choice considering her position on war, Iraq and Iran was what alienated her from a lot of Democrats who went over to Obama. She has too much baggage. She'd be much more suitable to something like Secretary of Interior.  But Hillary wants a big sexy profile like the State Department where she can build up her power base for another possible run at the White House.  Imagine, it could be Palin vs. Clinton the next time. Is there a Freudian shrink in the house?  It's also pure and simple political gangsterism.  The sense of entitlement that Clintonites have is monstrous.

Neocons are pleased with Obama's choice of Clinton

McCain campaign blogger Michael Goldfarb explains why Republicans are cheered by the prospect of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

"Clinton flipped on the war, but as the nomination slipped
out of her reach last spring she spoke of the threats this country
faces, and of the prescriptions offered by Obama, in language that
would warm the hearts of neoconservatives (if we had them). She
threatened to "obliterate" Iran in response to unprovoked aggression
against Israel, she spoke of unconditional meetings with the leaders of
rogue states as "irresponsible and, frankly, naive," and she castigated
Obama's transparent saber-rattling on Pakistan ("last summer [Obama]
basically threatened to bomb Pakistan, which I don't think was a
particularly wise position to take."). On matters of diplomacy,
Clinton's views are not so different from those held by John McCain and
most Republicans -- and they are certainly well to the right of Obama"

here are some of the comments that people made about Obama's possible choice Clinton's for Sec of State:

"The fact that the pick is already so divisive is proof that it is a bad pick.

It is irrelevant whether the enmity toward Hillary is earned or not.
What matters is that the enmity exists and exists on such a grand
scale. She is the single most divisive politician alive in America. She
has a national disapproval rating that hovers at around 49%. And she
does more to rile up the GOP base and raise money for the GOP than any
other Democratic name.


On the left, this will let some air out of the Obama sails. And on the
right, this will give a directionless party (republicans) something to unify around.
It's a terrible choice up and down the line."

"AIPAC sank their claws into both Obama and Clinton long ago. It makes
no difference who is Sec. of State we will still be the military arm of
Israeli foreign policy. It's disgusting."

Chris Mathews: ""I don't understand it," Matthews bellowed. "Why would he pick her?
I thought we were done with the Clintons. She'll just use it to build
her power base. It's Machiavellian. And then we'll have Bill Clinton,
too. I thought Obama didn't want drama. He's already got [chief of
staff Rahm] Emanuel and [transition team leader John] Podesta. He'll
have even more drama with her....She's just a soap opera. If he doesn't pick her, everyone will say
she's been dissed again, we'll have to live through that again."

Huffington Post: "From his supporters on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party,
to campaign aides of the soon-to-be commander-in-chief, there's a sense
of ambivalence about giving a top political plum to a woman they spent
18 months hammering as the compromised standard-bearer of an era that
deserves to be forgotten.....These are people who believe in this stuff more than Barack himself
does," said a Democrat close to Obama's campaign. "These guys didn't
put together a campaign in order to turn the government over to the
Clintons."

During the primary, top aides like David Plouffe and Robert Gibbs
developed a particular distaste for all things Clinton, one that
filtered down through the campaign. So the transition from viewing
Hillary Clinton as a relic of a drama-filled Democratic past to the top
choice to run the foreign policy of an Obama administration has been
difficult for some campaign veterans, to say the least. ....The wisdom of an Obama/Clinton team of rivals seems to be viewed with even more skepticism by the campaign's rank and file."

FYI/Syria May Play Moderating role (bbc)

Syria could be a positive link between the west and Tehran - which is accused by some western powers off seeking a nuclear arms capability.

Mr Obama don't sell

It was not only Don Quixote who was subject to delusions, we humans all have a delusional Don Quixote inside our minds. Given the relaity of the past few years, with the constant demonization of moslems, Islam, and Iranians not just in America but in the West, we Iranians still cling to the hope that something somehow might change. It won't compatriots. This is the damage control phase for the Western Imperialism which has suffered a setback but by all means not permanently. We all have to come to grips, sooner or later, that the racist West is not where we must sweat and contribute. Iran is. Turning our back on the West is removing a delusional wishful thinking. The truth is we would not be in America if Shah had not been restored to power in 1953. Mossadegh would have guranteed a future for all of us in Iran, not in America or the racist West. Now Obama is an appartchick, a creature of the white supramecist two-party system which is not representative in reality at all. His function is basically to alter the perceptions about America, the real ugly America, which we have observed in the past few years. just look at his initial selections: they are like the proverbial canary in the mine shaft. Rahm is a Zionist and his father a member of the infamous Irgun and on records as saying that his son would not be in the White House to clean floors like an Arab. Of all the qualified and well-meaning people, Obama's first pick is indeed very telling. The selection of Hillary who supported the wars of occupation and threatened Iran with obliteration is a very poor choice for Obama who, he says, is against the Iraq war. So why not pick someone who spoke against the war when everybody else was rushing to sign up for the invasons? Why reward someone who has been consistently for the invasions and occupations? Finally, the Joker, Liberman, who vociferously supported the unjust wars, and supports the invasion of Iran, and supported McCain is going (how bizarre!)to keep his important chairmanship. Obama is set to squander all the good hope and good will invested in him by the delusional masses. The only thing that would change America is a full-blown revolution in America. And I mean Revolution. An appratchick is not going to bring any meaningful change to America. Mark my words!

people vs politics

Obama's policies will soon be more clear once he announces his cabinet.
If he chooses Hillary Clinton as secretary of state , that would be a disaster and a sell out by Obama versus what he promised. 

He went to change Washington not to let Washington change him.

Hillary is the one who ridiculed Obama's idea of direct talk with
Iran and threatened Iran with Obliteration.How is Hillary expected to hold talks with Iran if she does not even beleive in it. Even if she goes to such talks , she would go with the wrong attitude and without her heart in it. Obama is already elected, he
owes nothing to Hillary who threw every piece of dirt at him with her
Kitchen sink strategy including race card.

Obama should believe and rely on the PEOPLE , who brought him to powerand not the same old status quo Washinton politicians who blocked himevery step of the way,

Hillary could hold any cabinet position but not secretary of state!

Bill Richardson would be a good , humble choice for the secretary of
state vesus Hillary's controversial, two faced, egotistic , self serving, shallow, abrasive and moody attitude!!

Obama voters....how smart they are?

Watch this video how obama got elected...see how informative Obama voters are:
//obamasgaffes.blogspot.com/

It's not a done deal.

It's not a done deal.  She's still being vetted.  The Obama people are still going thru Bill's stuff to see if it's worth the headache.  They're still trying to figure out where his contributions for the Clinton library came from etc.  The SOS position is a much more sought after and noble position than the VP.  This is why Barack may have held out and chose Biden while thinking of a suitable position for her.  Remember folks, Bill is one of the most successful fundraisers.  He's able to raise an enormous amount of money from different governments for his  international charitable organizations.  If Hillary becomes SOS this will be a conflict of interest.  Asking heads of states for money while trying to broker treaties could be tough.  Depending on how you look at this it could be good or disastrous.  Obama is also very calculating and careful.  I'm sure, unlike Mccain he will have done a thorough inquiry.

This is not that big of a deal. Obama is smart. A woman

should be in this role. I love to see a woman look down on all these f-ing failure leader men. Especially in middle east and that includes Israel. 

well...

I voted for him because he was the most qualified. I'll wait and see what he's up to before I judge his choices. We lived through hell for 8 years, we can give the smart one time to at least get in the White House before we criticize him or lose faith in him. Most president elects didn't start taking charge and selecting their cabinet as early in the process as he has. It seems like he has a plan and I am willing to give him time to prove himself.   It's not even 2009 yet! 

IRANdokht

It's already a done

It's already a done deal.

//www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/17/1917/...