Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Governance

Klein (via Sullivan):
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.

2 comments:

troutsky said...

All I can say to Klien is he should read, say, The Liberal Defense of Murder by Seymour before the stars in his eyes blind him. Clintons eyes, on the other hand, show that she knows exactly the rules of the Great Game. The PNAC is never over, it just changes shape as it needs.

helmut said...

Maybe. But at least we'll get some decent governance out of it. Clinton did lay herself on the line at State by insisting on openness, listening, and going with the best evidence. By even saying that, she's set up criteria of accountability.