Why no talk of Sec Def? Posted by Max Bergmann

A few weeks back Ilan and others debated who should be the Secretary of Defense in a Democratic administration. Ilan persuasively argued against Chuck Hagel as Sec Def - but that leads to the obvious question over who should be the Sec Def in a Democratic administration?

With all the talk swirling over who will be the VP nominee - I am surprised that no one has mentioned HRC as a possible Secretary of Defense. HRC has been on the Armed Services committee since she came to the Senate and has greatly impressed those in uniform and military wonks with her knowledge and expertise. I have heard a number of anecdotes from people sent in to brief her on a given military subject that she was often just as knowledgeable about the subject as the briefer. Also talk about breaking glass ceilings - it would be enormously path-breaking to have a woman in charge of our most manly of institutions. And from her perspective the position of Sec Def will no doubt be of great importance and influence given that the next administration will be embroiled in two wars.

Of course there are reasons why Hillary would not want such a role and why Obama would want to look in an another direction. But as baseless speculation amps up over the VP nominee, I am surprised there has been no baseless speculation about Hillary in the Pentagon. 

Comments

[Dan Kervick]

With all the talk swirling over who will be the VP nominee - I am surprised that no one has mentioned HRC as a possible Secretary of Defense.

Awful, dreadful idea. I opposed Clinton from early on, even before I backed Obama, precisely because of her foreign policy and national security positions and political alliances. I see her as a major figure in the Democratic auxiliary of the neoconservative approach to the Middle East, really not much different from Lieberman until she began her primary campaign and did some superficial re-packaging for the sake of more left-leaning Democrats. I know many, many Obama supporters feel the same way. For so many of us, for whom the decisive issue in this race was Clinton's support of the war and the broader foreign policy posture that support represented, it would be an incredible kick in the teeth to put her in charge of defense. I know Mama Warbucks is very popular with the defense industry, but Clinton at DOD is intolerable.

Now I know Clinton has an interest in certain global public health issues like the eradication of malaria, and the broader issues of poverty, development and women's rights around the world. Why not push for Obama to develop an ambitious global development, poverty elimination, health and human rights initiative, and make her the point person for that initiative? It would be a very high-profile position; it would give her the opportunity to travel the world and meet frequently with key global figures. It dovetails excellently with her husband's current work. It would help her and Bill associate themselves with something very positive, and would enhance and solidify their national and global legacy, and it would reinforce the themes of the Obama campaign rather than create tension with those themes.

[Zathras]

The greatest pressure Sen. Obama will ever be under to give an important assignment to Sen. Clinton is being generated right now. Should he be able to resist that pressure now, choose someone else as his running mate, and actually be elected, he'd have no reason to want Clinton anywhere but in the Senate and would feel himself under no compulsion to put her anywhere in his administration.

[Don Bacon]

She could obliterate Iran better than most men -- I say give her a shot.

[Mike M.]

I think we need "opposed the Iraq war from the begining" as the litmus test for that job.

But anything to stop all the Hagel talk. There's just no reason to give a Republican a cabinet post when there are hundreds of qualified Democrats available.

[Bill]

How about Secretary of Offense, since she voted to invade Iraq?

[Lev]

I think that Wes Clark is likely for this job. Kind of a no-brainer, really.

Actually, though I follow the logic of this post, it seems backwards to me. Clinton's focus for her campaign has been all about domestic policy. That's what she's interested in, and I get the sense (frequently) that she's chosen to be hawkish because she doesn't care much about foreign policy and because that's a safer position to take if you feel that way. Secretary of HHS and pointman for the healthcare initiative, plus a promise of a SCOTUS seat when available, strikes me as being a pretty darn good deal for Clinton. If Obama decides he needs to make a deal, of course.

[Maj Bill]

Hillary flip flopped on the Iraq War, then on Iran. One minute she made out she had to show balls, the next minute she doesn't know who Hillary was. She has become polished on the stump in the last few weeks, but PLEASE leave the defence talk to the experts. There are quite a few Dems who could make Sec of Defense. If Obama had humility, he would ask Hillary to be VP, and then ask Jim Webb or Sam Nunn to be Sec of Defence.

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