Monday, December 1, 2008

Be Careful What You Promise

TW: We occasionally reference Kevin Drum from Mother Jones. He promised to eat his hat if Clinton became Sec State.

From Drum:
"I'm astonished. Since when do sitting senators give up their seats to become Secretary of State? Muskie did it at the tail end of his career, but I can't think of anyone else. It's crazy. Hillary can basically be senator for life if she wants, and we're supposed to believe that she'd give that up for a cabinet post that probably won't last more than four or five years?
And why would Obama feel like this was a great idea? I don't believe for a second this business about him being afraid that Hillary will sabotage his legislative agenda. She wouldn't. And anyway, presidents have to deal with powerful interest groups all the time, including senators with agendas of their own. The Obama-Hillary relationship wouldn't be anything new or unusual.
As for Hillary allegedly seeing this as a steppingstone toward another run in 2016, I can only say: huh? I mean, who was the last person to use Foggy Bottom as a springboard to the presidency? Thomas Jefferson? John Quincy Adams? Give me a break. No Secretary of State for over a century has used it as a way to move up the political ladder.
Plus you'd have Bill and all his globetrotting to contend with too. The whole thing is crazy. I guess that doesn't mean it's impossible, but I'll eat my hat¹ if it turns out to be true."

TW: So today...albeit somewhat lamely...
"...you may recall that I promised to eat my hat if Hillary Clinton agreed to be Obama's Secretary of State, and let no one say I'm not a man of my word. Marian made me a chocolate cake in the shape of a baseball cap, I decorated it with M&Ms, and then this afternoon I chowed down on it. Promise made, promise kept."

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