We've arrived at one of those moments when we'd be wise to just hit the "pause" button, stop, sit in a quiet place and imagine something that could happen, actually happening.
(After all, had more people done just that before we invaded Iraq, a whole lot people would still be alive and the nation would be a trillion bucks richer right now. But we didn't, and here we are.)
Now we have another chance to image something before it happens.
This time that "something" is Vice President Hillary R. Clinton.
Having failed to bag the number one spot on the ticket, Hillary and Bill and their surrogates are now furiously working the back channels trying to get a lock on the second spot.
So, what if Obama is successfully hounded into tapping Hillary Clinton as his No. 2? What would life be like for President Obama -- and the rest of us -- over the next four years?
Let's stop, look both ways and imagine this:
Scene: VP Hillary Clinton and husband Bill Clinton move into the Veep residence, the Naval Observatory. The couple will be there for the next four years -- Hillary working 16-hour days, leaving Bill home alone. As Veep Hillary will also spend a lot of time on the road, leaving Bill home alone for days on end. I'm not suggesting he would do anything improper, I'm just asking you imagine Bill, home, alone for days at time.
Sure he's been pretty much home alone since this political couple left the White House in 2001. But he's been a private citizen free to indulge in the kind of things private citizens are free to indulge in. As the husband of the Vice President of the United States of America Bill will be back in the fishbowl. The last time he was in that fishbowl he hooked up with a sucker fish and... well, we all know the rest of that story.
“Authentic treachery is found when we abandon ourselves, becoming deaf to the whispers of our spirits and blind to the powerful potential therein” ( Joaquin Mariel Espinosa)
Scene: VP Hillary Clinton will spend much of her time in the Veep's office a stone's throw form the White House in the (dark and stuffy and, frankly depressing) old Executive Office Building. Out her office window she'll have a nice view of the front door leading to the Oval Office. From her vantage she would have to watch a daily procession of dignitaries and other national and international movers and shakers ushered through that door by the Marine Corp doormen for an audience with President Barack Obama.
And there she'd sit, as President Obama makes decisions he will likely only share with her after he's made them. And once made VP Hillary Clinton would be expected to publicly embrace and promote President Obama's policies -- as though they were her own -- only they won't be. And, should those policies prove beneficial to the nation, Obama would get the credit, not Hillary. How do you imagine that will go down? With everything we now know about Hillary and Bill Clinton, imagine that for moment. (It will only take a moment.)
“There is no act of treachery or meanness of which a political party is not capable; for in politics there is no honor.” ( Benjamin Disraeli )
Scene: It's evening. Bill and Hillary are gathered for a late dinner at the Veep's residence with long-time allies, like James Carville, Lanny Davis, Terry McAuliffe, and other familiar suspects. The topic of discussion: how to position Hillary for the next election, should Obama's approval ratings sink during his first term. This would require the risky but unavoidable tactic of leaking stories hinting that Hillary had opposed Obama policies that later became unpopular -- stories she would, of course, refuse to comment on or would indicate are not "entirely accurate."
“Destiny is a good thing to accept when it's going your way. When it isn't, don't call it destiny; call it injustice, treachery, or simple bad luck.” (Joseph Heller)
Scene: Same place, same time of day, different meeting to hash out a different problem. This time the group discusses what Hillary can do to "shine on her own," outside the shadow of President Obama. The goal would be to identify positions and policies Hillary could use to attract the media attention , independent of Obama. Meetings she could hold with news-makers, world leaders, hints of policies she'd like to address outside the Obama administration's stated policy goals. All designed to portray Hillary Clinton as a hands-on Veep and get her on the nightly news, even if that means upstaging Obama.
Such tactics would leave Obama with a helluva dilemma. Should he simply allow his Veep to freelance, or should he grab Hillary by the nape of the neck and drag her off to the executive woodshed?
If he allows Hillary to freelancing the resulting news coverage would weaken the Obama presidency. After all, if he can't face down his own Veep, how can he face down America's enemies? That would be the question sweeping the news if he let's just lets Hillary be Hillary.
Stephen Pizzo has been published everywhere from The New York Times to Mother Jones magazine. His book, Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans, was nominated for a Pulitzer.
imagine President Obama, Vice President Clinton, and Vice Vice President Clinton. How dumb do we think that Obama is?
Obama needs a more centrist vice to sway Conservatives if he wants a sure win. I personally would not vote for him if he brings Hillary along for the ride, after all of the bashing back and forth and the hundreds of hours explaining their differences... if that happens, I say "liars all."
by
Mike Folkerth (120 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 562 comments)
on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 2:30:32 PM
We all know from history how often the fascists, and the right, including Republicans resort to assassination to get rid of their opponents...
Hillary would provide great "insurance" for President Obama - since then Republicans would know out front what eliminating President Obama would result in...
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mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 296 comments)
on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 6:55:23 PM
...the same setup that got JFK drilled in Dallas by LBJ's friendlies.
Nope. Not gonna happen. Edwards is going to play a role here, but I'm not sure if it's as VP or AG.
Hillary and the Clinton legacy needs to be disposed of. It's unfortunate and unfair that Bill will end up carrying the full weight of the vast right wing conspiracy, but, as you quote Disraeli, "there is no honor in politics." He should have put his ambition in "park" and done the right thing when the spooks started offing people with impunity. But he didn't. He made a pact with the devil and that, my friends, is that. Flush twice, it's a long way to the Food Court.
Hillary will very likely run as a third party candidate. She will be doing the grunt work for what is inevitable, but, again, she will be torn apart.
Her best move, believe it or not, is to be McCain's VP selection. She and Bill are Republicans, anyway.
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Richard Volaar (18 articles, 0 quicklinks, 59 diaries, 223 comments)
on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 8:09:19 PM
Oh Man! You are SO totally correct about that! I remember thinking that exact thing when Bill ran for office the first time. "This guy is just Republican light."
The political landscape in this country has been tilted SO FAR to the right that what was once considered a moderate viewpoint is now called "extreme left" by the so-called "mainstream" and the media.
If FDR were alive today he would be considered a "radical" or a socialist. And a progressive - looks lke an anarchist.
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mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 296 comments)
on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 8:30:46 PM
After her last blunder, one can only conclude that HC is her own worst ennemy; her political CV demonstrates a pattern of poor judgement when making decisions, and consistently shooting herself in the foot with unthinking stupid statements .
I will question Obama's judgement too if he casts her as VP; but somehow I think he is too clever to do that.
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francine (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 282 comments)
on Saturday, May 24, 2008 at 8:46:46 AM
And I hope this last blunder will sway the undecided delegates in Obama's favor; at least it should, if they have half a brain. This agony has lasted long enough.
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francine (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 282 comments)
on Saturday, May 24, 2008 at 11:14:45 AM
Hillary hasn't "slipped up" just once about the assassination comment. She mentioned it in Indiana, California, and South Dakota. One doesn't have to be a detective to know what flows thru her mind.
Dead ppl have surrounded the Clintons. Arkancide to DC...ppl die when they are around. Remember now, Bill CLinton is buddy buddy with Geo. "Herbert Walker" Bush (goes deep and way back); therefore, to have Hillary as his Veep, Obama would be dealing with Clinton, Clinton and Bush(elder) and all those that tie in with them. That would make Obama a tool or strawman. I'll copy and paste a list of dead ppl that surrounded the Clintons.............
Here is a list of DEAD CLINTON BODYGUARDS: Maj. Gen. William Robertson,Deputy Commanding General, V Corps, Europe. Col William Densberger,V Corps Chief of Operations and Plan. Col. Robert Kelly,V Corps Chief of Intelligence. Spec. Gary Rhodes, Crew Chief died: 2/23/93 - All were killed when their Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crashed in Wiesbaden, Germany. No cause was ever determined. - V Corps figured prominently in the US Bosnia-Serbia peacekeeping operations, along with the carrier Roosevelt. These men, and 8 others associated with Clinton's visit to the Roosevelt all died within 4 months of each other. *** Steve Willis, Clinton bodyguard Robert Williams, Clinton bodyguard Conway LeBleu, Clinton bodyguard Todd McKeehan, Clinton bodyguard died: 2/28/93 - "executed" by gunfire in the Waco, Texas assault on the Branch Davidians. - All four were examined by a "private doctor" and died from nearly identical wounds to the left temple, so-called execution style. According to Linda Thompson, videotapes and other evidence indicates that none died from guns fired by Branch Davidians. In his address to employees of the Treasury Department in the Cash Room on March 18, 1993, Clinton said: "My prayers and I'm sure yours are still with the families of all four of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents who were killed in WACO *** Todd McKeehan and Conway Le Bleu of New Orleans; Steve Willis of Houston, and Robert Williams from my hometown of Little Rock. Three of those four were assigned to my security during the course of the primary or general election." However, the Little Rock, Arkansas office of the ATF confirmed that all four had at one point been bodyguards for Bill Clinton, three while he was campaigning for President, and while he had been governor of Arkansas. In the videotape by the American Justice Federation, "WACO II, the Big Lie Continues," Linda Thompson demonstrates that 15 shots were fired from six separate weapons into and out of a room into which three of the four agents had entered through a window. Four of these shots were fired from an overhead helicopter, an agent outside the window, firing an MP5 submachine gun, who also threw in a concussion grenade, fired at least two shots into the room. In the autopsies of these agents, three had virtually identical wounds to the left temple that exited through the rear of the head, execution-style. A "private physician" treated all four. ***Alan G. Whicher Oversaw Clinton's Secret Service detail. In October 1994 Whicher was transferred to the Secret Service field office in the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Whatever warning was given to the BATF agents in that building did not reach Alan Whicher, whom died in the bomb blast of April 19th 1995. *** Cpl Eric S. Fox. Died 3/22/99. Crewman for Marine One, the Presidential Helicopter. Shot in the head, and declared a suicide. *** Five Navy aviators, Clinton bodyguards/escorts (names not determined) died: 3/26/93 - all died in a crash of an E-2C Hawkeye in Italy. The crash occurred shortly after the plane was "waved off" from a landing attempt on the Carrier Roosevelt, due to a "foul deck". - All five men had been Clinton's escorts during Clinton's visit to the Roosevelt 2 weeks prior. Three other men, who had flown Clinton to the Roosevelt for that visit also died later in a helicopter crash. *** A more complete list of "Arkancides" is available at - www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/BODIES.html
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shirley reese (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 257 comments)
on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 10:44:05 AM
I have no doubt that should Hillary become VP, one example she would study especially thoroughly is how Lt. Governor of New York Mario Cuomo bumped Hugh Carey from the top of the ticket, in 1982 I think it was.
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Maxwell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 184 comments)
on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 7:57:47 AM
Obama and the American people will never be lucky enough to see such a proven American leader as Hillary Clinton in the Vice Presidents role.
We as democrats can only blame ourselves. We allowed the media whores who have always hated the Clintons to post every little thing that the Clintons did wrong that morning and pound it at you 24/7.
We're just to dumb to know how we're being used.
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drasile (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 77 comments)
on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 1:39:58 PM
