In the political comedy "Dave," the president suffers a stroke and is in a vegetative state. Those who the president put into positions of power fear losing that power if the vice president took over. They find a look-a-like to pretend to be him. They make sure that the vice president is sent on good will tours of Africa. The vice president is sent away to get him out of the way. This brings us to Hilary Clinton.
Hilary Clinton appeared to be the heir apparent. She seemed to be the democratic nominee in waiting in 2008. Out of nowhere Barack Obama, capitalizing on those who wanted change from the Clinton years as well as the Bush years. Even though she lost the nomination, she still got a lot of votes. It was one of the closest primaries ever. Many thought that he would have to make her his VP. When he bypassed Hilary for VP, many thought he would have to put her in the cabinet.
When Obama won, many thought she'd be Secretary of State. Many thought that Obama would follow the old adage, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." If she were a US senator, she'd be free to speak her mind and could be a nuisance to the president. As Secretary of State, she would not be free to voice opposition. And if she did, she would be replaced. Why would she take this post? She never wanted to be a US Senator. It was to get more visibility. It would appear she was burying the hatchet with Obama.
Remembering the movie Dave, I predicted that Hilary would be going on a lot of goodwill tours in Africa. I predicted that we would never see her. I could not have predicted how right I was. Hilary has been on several tours all around the world. Special envoys who are usually appointed by the Secretary of State have instead been appointed by the president. Most foreign policy decisions have come from the president. If she did not go on all these visits, she would probably have nothing to do.
There is a danger of this back-firing. In the movie, the look-a-like turned on the power brokers and he reigned in the corruption. Could Hilary challenge Obama for the nomination? Think it can't happen? In Indonesia, the foreign minister ran a against the incumbent and won. Obama's quest for control could be his undoing. I'm not saying she will run. This is a big risk. But her ratings are up. She is more popular than President Obama. She still has a strong support base with democrats and independents. President Obama should think twice about sidelining her too much.
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