Don't read this blog. Read this article.

Sorry for the lack of blogging yesterday. True fact - I was unexpectedly late and excessively wine sloshed from attending the book launch dinner for my husband's former colleague's new book on Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yes, I live exactly the life that the populist right imagine I do.

But you shouldn't be reading my blog anyway - instead, if you haven't already, you should be reading Ryan Lizza's fascinating article taking a close look at the Obama administration's foreign policy.

Go on. Read it.

The piece isn't hagiographic towards the President, nor is it pointlessly critical - just an honest attempt to understand the different forces within the administration and how Obama himself is evolving as a foreign policy thinker.

I do think the piece is interesting and well written - the empty place at the heart of it, to me, is that so much of it seems based on the perceptions of people who witnessed the key events in the decision-making, but weren't themselves the main players. These "sources close to the White House" type articles always seem to me to overplay the degree to which the interpersonal politics is responsible for decision-making. Understandably, since people at that level spend a lot of time frustrated by the interpersonal politics. But I suspect that more often than not these relationship issues are caused by the policy positions, not the other way around. For instance, Lizza writes:

But the Afghanistan decision, like all government work, was driven by politics and ideology. Obama’s eagerness to keep his campaign promise, the military’s view that reducing troops meant a loss of face, Clinton’s decision to align with Gates, and Holbrooke’s inability to influence the White House staff all ultimately conspired to push Obama toward the surge.

OK. But wouldn't another way of putting it be to say that Obama had been persuaded by the need for a surge during the campaign (presumably that's why he made that promise, yes?) and the onus was now on the advisors who disagreed to prove their case. Hillary Clinton seems to have aligned herself with Gates because she agreed with him about a lot of policies, not just to bolster her position - although it may have had that effect. And the article then goes on to show that she had no compuction about strongly disagreeing with Gates later on in calling for Libyan intervention. And as for Holbrooke - another way of saying "inability to influence White House staff" would be "failure to persuade."

Anyway, the article sketches a fascinating fresh portrait of the age-old cross-party dispute between foreign policy realists and interventionists, and makes the case that Obama doesn't align with either party but focusses more on a situation-specific analysis of the plausible outcomes in each case. Lizza calls him "The Consequentialist".

Presidential Basketball

Personally I don't care a fig whether or not women are to be found on the President's basketball court.

Well, actually - I do a little bit. President Obama is, by all accounts, a really good basketball player. As a non-sporty person myself, I would hate to see, for example, Christina Romer taking time out from her important work saving the US economy to learn how to serve as Presidential point guard. Or, do we imagine that the country might be better off in some inexplicable way if the President would recruit in some WNBA stars to play with?

Obama has signed legislation to guarantee women the right to sue for equal pay. He has doubled the number of women on the Supreme Court (by adding 1. Sigh). He has appointed a strong female Secretary of State. And he is agressively pursuing health care reform that would hugely benefit woman and families. The female Speaker of the House is one of his closest Congressional allies, and he happens to be married to a whip-smart, successful woman and to be raising two confident girls.

Let the guy play b-ball with some friends, for heaven sake. Watching Melody Barnes panting for breath as she darts around after an orange rubber ball wouldn't really seem like much a victory for feminism, to me.

Hillary Impresses in Her Senate Hearing

Time journalist Joe Klein appears to be well impressed:

I spent the day at the Clinton confirmation hearings and came away impressed, as always, with the woman's sheer ability to process information. Not a missed beat, not an "I'll have to get back to you on that..." It was several hours into the hearing that the full force of the new Administration hit me. Clinton was being asked by Senator Benjamin Cardin whether we could exert our influence on mineral-rich countries to share their wealth with their people. The Secretary of State-designate immediately brought up Botswana's "excellent work" in this area, the education and infrastructure programs that had been funded. And I thought: Botswana? Wow. We've got people who are really interested in governing--who really love public service, who understand that foreign policy means more than simply issuing threats--coming back to your nation's capital! Enthusiasm and care don't always result in wise policy-making, but we've seen how fecklessness and carelessness works.

As if we needed further reminding - the grown-ups are now (well, soon!) back in charge.

Unity, New Hampshire

Last Friday night Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama conducted a joint event in Unity, New Hampshire. Can you guess what the theme of it might have been?



We are one nation, one party, one vision for this country. I'm s glad to see Senator Clinton putting her heart and soul into that vision.

Barack Puts HIS Money Where His Mouth Is

And by the way...

Apparently at that joint meeting, Barack went one step beyond his earlier calls for his donors to help Hillary with her debt - he and Michelle wrote a personal check for the maximum amount to help Hillary pay her vendors. His National Finance Chair Penny Prizker did the same.

Hillary has stated that she is not looking for help to repay the $11 Million or so that she loaned herself, but she is looking for help with paying off the money she owes to her vendors. A lot of these vendors are small businesses - events companies, catering firms, landlords renting office space - who can be hard hit if a major client is unable to pay. So it is right that these debts be paid off and a nice gesture that Obama is willing to help with this personally.

Obama and Clinton Meet With Clinton's Fundraisers

Last night Senators Clinton and Obama met together with a group of Hillary's top fundraisers. Both addressed the group and talked about the historica nature of the race so far, and the importance of winning in November.

Senator Clinton said:

“This was a hard-fought campaign,” she continued. “That’s what made it so exciting and intense and why people’s passions ran so high on both sides. I know my supporters have extremely strong feelings, and I know Barack’s do as well. But we are a family, and we have an opportunity now to really demonstrate clearly we do know what’s at stake, and we will do whatever it takes to win back this White House.”

Senator Obama said:

"Between my grandmother’s generation and my young daughter, there’s a testimony to the challenges that are hard won and hard fought. To the point that my 9-year-old takes for granted that of course we can have a woman president. Of course we can have an African-American president. But that doesn’t come just by the passage of time. It comes because people are consistently working and fighting."

“I recognize that this room shared the same passion that a roomful of my supporters would show. I do not expect that passion to be transferred. Sen. Cinton is unique, and your relationships with her are unique.” But he added, “Sen. Clinton and I at our core agree deeply that this country needs to change.”

I say:

It's impressive that Senator Clinton is able to put aside what must be a crushing personal disappointment in order to put her heart and soul into electing the candidate who defeated her, but shares her policy vision. I hope that I could be that gracious and constructive mere weeks after losing my life's ambition.

It goes to show that Senator Clinton, like me, like Obama, like you (I hope) is prepared to pay any price, bear any burden to put this country back on the right track.

Don't Miss...

My thanks to Senator Clinton on the ocassion of her gracious concession.

In honor of the Senator, I will be conducting a week long spotlight on women's issues here on the blog - do write in on the comments if there's a particular area you'd like me to write about.

Thank You Hillary

This afternoon Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign and threw the full weight of her support behind Barack Obama, saying:

"I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me."

She also said:

I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy and seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit. In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream," she said. "He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized."

I endorse him and throw my full support behind him. The Democratic Party is a family and now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together, and to come together. We may have started on separate journeys but today our paths have merged.

Senator Obama released the following statement:

Obviously, I am thrilled and honored to have Senator Clinton's support.

But more than that, I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run. She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans.

Our party and our country are stronger because of the work she has done throughout her life, and I'm a better candidate for having had the privilege of competing with her in this campaign. No one knows better than Senator Clinton how desperately America and the American people need change, and I know she will continue to be in the forefront of that battle this fall and for years to come.

I have to heartily agree that Senator Clinton has made Barack a better campaigner and a better candidate. I also salute her as a woman who has inspired millions of Americans, who has given her life to public service, and who is singularly dedicated to improving the day to day lives of all Americans.

And so, we thank you Hillary. For your lifetime of service, and for your very gracious and warm remarks today.

Why Doesn't Hillary Just Drop Out?

So I'm starting to get people writing to me and commenting on the blog to wonder why Hillary "doesn't just drop out now". And to these people I would like to say I understand your frustration but - take a deep breath.

Until Saturday afternoon, it was perfectly possible (though unlikely) that the Michigan and Floriday delegations would be seated in full - changing the overall math significantly. As soon as that happened, she went straight in the primary in Puerto Rico where she was expected to - and indeed did - win (although in a primary with extremely low turnout). Now she is one day away from the very last two primaries of the year. Why on earth would she drop out now, having come this far?

So that's why she's not dropping out, and there doesn't have to be anything nefarious about it. It may be frustrating for us to see the primary go on this long, but keep in mind that it is DOUBLY frustrating for all her supporters, who are combining the stress we all feel with what must be a building sense of disappointment.

We're only a few days away from a resolution, let's chill out until then, OK? We need every voter, and that means if and when we are victorious we need to be gracious about it

Remember, winning the primary is not our goal. Winning the PRESIDENCY is our goal. Step by step, one day at a time.

But, yes we can.

Making Nice

Recently Bill Barnard, the Chair of Democrats Abroad UK posted a message with some very wise and reasoned thoughts about the importance of Democrats behaving cautiously and respectfully in this promary season. I wanted to post Bill's thoughts because I think they are worth hearing but also because it gives me a chance to talk about something I specifically wanted to say to every Obama supporter I know.


Here are Bill's thoughts:

To Members of the Council: I am not sure that we have fully grasped the extraordinary political opportunity that is almost ours. With a Republican President at an all--time low in the polls and with the Republican coalition beginning to crumble, with an unpopular war and an administration with no plan to end it or to define what `victory' might mean, with an economy on the brink of a serious crisis unlike any we have seen in generations, with a health care system whose benefits are not available to all, with a planet in ecological peril and an administration that denies science and refuses to recognize the seriousness of the crisis, with a continuing erosion of American prestige around the world—-with all of this, there is now a rising and almost irresistible Democratic tide. Of course, our focus has been primarily on the historic Presidential contest. And here we have the good fortune to have had an
incredibly talented array of Democratic candidates, a panoply that looked like 21st century America. (The Republicans seemed rooted in the 1950s—only one gender and one color need apply.) Now, we are down to two extraordinary candidates, either of which will make history. Our party has been roughly equally divided between supporters of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. We face the dilemma—-the historic but exquisitely painful dilemma—-of offering to the nation either the first female candidate to have a genuinely serious chance of winning the Presidency or the first black American with a serious chance of doing so. It is a transitory moment of great sensitivity. And we can best navigate it with respect for each other and for our differing choices. Mutual understanding and civility are qualities all the more necessary in the coming weeks. For we are united in our determination to see an end to eight years of Republican mis-rule. I am convinced that we Democrats will prevail at the Presidential level, despite the kind of campaign of fear and misrepresentation
that the Republicans and their Swift-boating allies will undoubtedly wage. But we should not let the inevitable focus on the historic Presidential race blind us to the reality of what is achievable in the House and Senate. It was clear in 2006 that the old Republican coalition put together by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan was beginning to fall apart. Democrats retook both the House and Senate, winning in places (in the Senate in Virginia, where DA made a difference, and in Montana) where we weren't supposed to. The further consolidation of our hold on the mid-Atlantic and New England states was evidence too, with Senate wins against incumbents in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island and with a history-making clean sweep of the state government in New Hampshire. The Democratic tide still runs strong—with anticipated Senate wins this year in New Hampshire and again in Virginia, possibly in Maine, and with real chances where we have not been competitive in recent decades, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and even Alaska. In the House in the last two months, Democrats won three special elections—-in Illinois, replacing the Republican Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, and in Mississippi and Louisiana in districts that had given George Bush margins of 20% or more and that had not voted Democratic in House races in a decade and a half. Significant gains in the House are also likely. What? Is it possible to think that Democrats could enter the next Presidential term with 60 votes in the Senate, breaking the stranglehold that has so frustrated every progressive effort of the last thirty years? The New York Times thinks it is. Yes, as I pointed out almost two months ago in the DAUK eNewsletter, we may well be on the verge of a genuinely transformational election, a realigning election, in which we prevail not only at the Presidential level but see a fundamental
shift in the tectonic plates of American politics, a shift that elevates a new Democratic coalition to majority status for perhaps a generation. That coalition will mean an even broader church—an even bigger big tent. We will need to approach those who agree with 90% of what we also believe but who differ on some matters, even some that are important to us individually, with a heightened degree of tolerance, understanding, and civility. The rewards in breaking the deadlock that has characterized Washington over the past decades will be worth it. So, in the words of an old spiritual adopted by the civil rights movement, let us keep our eyes on the prize—-not only on the Presidency but on the creation of a new Democratic majority as well. In our personal conduct—-in all we say and do—-let us lay the ground work for a unified party that can grasp the extraordinary opportunity that can be ours. The officers and the Executive Committee, with support from volunteers from the Council and from the general membership, are at work on a series of events that will permit us one and all to join together in unity to defeat John McCain and to retake the White House.

William D. Barnard

Chair, Democrats Abroad U.K.

Look at it this way - a lot of us got involved in Obama's campaign in the first place because he promised to help us see our country in a less divided way. "Not a red america and a blue America, but a UNITED States of America." Remember?


But no one ever promised that overcoming divisions and polaristion in our country would be easy or automatic - we knew it would be hard work. It's SUPPOSED to be hard work.


So it would be easy for Obama supporters to spend their time feeling angry, or smug. It would be equally easy for Hillary's supporters to feel bitter, or disrespected. But I don't see how that would help us win in November. Instead, I invite you to treat this schism within our own party in the same way that Obama is asking you to treat the wider political climate. Respect those who have a different point of view. Engage with them constructively and calmly. Understand where they're coming from even (especially) if you don't AGREE with where they're coming from.


Hillary Clinton is the first woman to arrive within touching distance of the Presidency. It's not surprising that many women feel extremely proud of her and are sensitive to any hint of sexism directed against her.


She is an accomplished Senator, a successful lawyer and a leading figure within our party. There's nothing irrational about her supporters' desire to see these achievements respected.


And while I dispute the notion that she has by any meaningful method of counting won more votes than Barack Obama, she's won many millions of votes from many millions of people who generally admire and respect her.


Those people will be disappointed when this competition concludes and she is not our nominee. They have a right to be disappointed. So, show a little human compassion as well as political savvy and do your small part to ensure our victory in November - be nice to the Clintonites.


Have you got a Clinton supporting friend who you haven't spoken to for a while? Give them a call. Hear them out. Remind them that, despite the real differences between the two candidates, on matters of policy - health care, civil and women's rights, ending the war in Iraq, restoring the constitution - Hillary and Barack agree a lot more than they disagree. And John McCain is on the wrong side of all these issues.

Josh Marshall is Getting Annoyed

Noted with agreement but without comment.

I've always assumed, as I think most people have, that once the nomination is settled the Florida and Michigan delegates will be seated. And I can see if Sen. Clinton wants to embrace this issue to claim a moral victory even while coming short of her goal of the nomination. As things currently stand, seating them would still leave Sen. Clinton behind in delegates.

But Sen. Clinton is doing much more than this. She is embarking on a gambit that is uncertain in its result and simply breathtaking in its cynicism.

I know many TPM Readers believe there is a deep moral and political issue at stake in the need to seat these delegations. I don't see it the same way. But I'm not here to say they're wrong and I'm right. It's a subjective question and I respect that many people think this. What I'm quite confident about is that Sen. Clinton and her top
advisors don't see it that way. Why do I think that? For a number of reasons. One of her most senior advisors, Harold Ickes, was on the DNC committee that voted to sanction Florida and Michigan by not including their delegates. Her campaign completely signed off on sanctions after that. And there are actually numerous quotes from the Senator herself saying those primaries didn't and wouldn't count. Michigan and Florida were sanctioned because they ignored the rules the DNC had set down for running this year's nomination process. The evidence is simply overwhelming that Sen. Clinton didn't think this was a problem at all -- until it became a vehicle to provide a rationale for her continued campaign.

Now, that's politics. One day you're on one side of an issue, the next you're on the other, all depending on the tactical necessities of the moment. But that's not what Clinton is doing. She's elevating it to a level of principle -- first principles -- on par with the great voting rights struggles of history. There's no longer any question that she's going to win the nomination. The whole point of the popular vote gambit was to make an argument to super-delegates. And that's fine since that's what super-delegates are there for -- to make the decision by whatever measure they choose. But they've made their decision. The super delegates are breaking overwhelmingly for Obama. They simply don't buy the arguments she's making. As Greg Sargent makes clear here. There are very good reasons to think Sen. Clinton won't take this to the convention, even as today she suggested she might. But that's sort of beside the point.

What she's doing is not securing her the nomination. Rather, she's gunning up a lot
of her supporters to believe that the nomination was stolen from her -- a belief
many won't soon abandon. And that on the basis of rationales and arguments
there's every reason to think she doesn't even believe in.

What I learned from the Washington Post this Morning

John McCain is in a seriously weak position.

But if we can't all play nice with each other - so are we.

Please come back, Hillary supporters, we're going to need you in November if we want to pass Hillary's top policy priorities which, luckily for you, match up really closely with Barack's. Bygones?