Branding Politix, Leadership, Messaging, Views on News • December 2nd, 2008

D’oh!

by Chris Lato

You just knew some enterprising reporter would start digging this stuff up. It doesn’t make much of a difference now, but candidates and potential candidates always need to remember that any public statements, including blogs and definitely remakes said during a campaign, can always bite the speaker in the behind later.

If Hillary Clinton had no substantive foreign policy credentials nine months ago, why has Barack Obama suddenly reversed course and decided Clinton is fully qualified to become secretary of state? Read the Washington Post link for an example of how Obama is now trying to brush it all off as the press ‘having fun.’ Apparently he was let off the hook after that, because the story doesn’t offer much more on Obama’s response.

Too bad. It’s a legitimate question and it’s not good enough for the president-elect to dismiss Obama’s past statements as mere campaign rhetoric while elevating Clinton to one of the most important positions within the administration.  

Ducking, dodging and dismissing can fairly call all of a candidate’s campaign-trail statements into question.

 The cynical among us would suggest political calculation is at least partially in play here – keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Bringing Sen. Clinton into the Obama administration effectively neutralizes her as a potential 2012 presidential challenger.

And would Sen. Clinton’s husband get sent back to Washington? For that matter, will Jeb Bush make a Senate run?

All this comes as Obama continues to fill Cabinet seats – and still no place at the table for Gov. Doyle?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 11:37 am and is filed under Branding Politix, Leadership, Messaging, Views on News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.