Barack Obama should not pick Hillary Clinton as his vice-presidential nominee, former president Jimmy Carter has told the Guardian.
“I think it would be the worst mistake that could be made,” said Carter. “That would just accumulate the negative aspects of both candidates.”
Carter, who formally endorsed the Illinois senator last night, cited opinion polls showing 50% of US voters with a negative view of Clinton.
In terms that might discomfort the Obama camp, he said: “If you take that 50% who just don’t want to vote for Clinton and add it to whatever element there might be who don’t think Obama is white enough or old enough or experienced enough or because he’s got a middle name that sounds Arab, you could have the worst of both worlds.”
Yesterday, James Hill commented on the idea of an Obama/Clinton dream team:
All of the people who hate the Clintons and all of those who see through Obama being motivated to vote for McCain?
That works.
>>Cutting back is wrong thinking.
Quit trolling, Mr. Foot.
#32–BC==I agree McCain will continue the destruction of Bushco but what do you think Obama will do that is so bad? I thought he was an “unknown” at this time?
No one cares what Carter says or does anymore. He should go back to building houses for the poor.
The perfect VP is Bill Richardson.
Obama is weak in the Latino segment. Bill Richardson is a hispanic and will help capture their votes.
Obama is incredibly weak and naive in foreign policy. Richardson has years of expeience.
Bill Richardson was involved in several diplomatic efforts as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and afterwards. He previously served as a U.S. Representative, Ambassador to the United Nations, and as the U.S. Secretary of Energy.
Richardson has been recognized for negotiating the release of hostages, American servicemen, and political prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba.
BigCarbonFoot said,
“Proper American energy policy is to produce more energy. Cutting back is wrong thinking.”
Not true. Proper policy is based on reality. The fact is our consumption is beyond gluttony so almost all steps toward conservation are the most effective immediate strategy. As to producing more energy… there is no such thing as a free fuel. Given that every source will have a cost, the wanton cry of “More Steam” only makes sense if the price the planet and its population will pay is practical. The insanity of burning down the house for heat is obvious to all but the most myopic of the species.
As to simplemindedly blaming any one politician for the economy, you reveal a woeful misunderstanding of the world’s fiscal interdependence not unlike the idiot begging the Saudis to open the spigot as the solution to $4.00 gas. Here’s a clue: you can’t ignore the powerful energy demands of emerging nations like China; especially when they have more capital with which to purchase raw materials and when they hold over a trillion dollars in our debt.
Developing new, non polluting energy is not easy but we can’t even begin to search for a viable solution until people extract their head from their ass else the view remains the same load of shit.
What else? Double digit inflation, double digit interest rates, nearly 10% unemployment… Hmmm…. Yup, Carter was a genius…
bobbo said,
#29–bh, etc==I’d agree with you except for the hostage fiasco that showed the weakness of his consuming focus on “human rights.” How do you perceive that crippling affair?
Not much different than the police and fire departments on 9/11: piss poor communications served as the core of the disaster. I’m sure there was also the military specialty of SNAFU but I seriously doubt any of the personnel were not adequate to the task. In any tactical move, there are always unpredictable elements. If enough things go right, you walk away a hero. When the shit hits the fan, you take the heat.
America excels at old style war where amassing military might wins the day. That ship sailed as we should have learned in Viet Nam. Sadly, it’s an historic cliché Generals fight today’s battles with yesterday’s tactics. The bigger question is why were we so stupid as to try it again in Iraq?
“He did squat to get us energy independent.” bobbo said, on June 5th, 2008 at 3:18 am
#29–bh, etc==I’d agree with you except for the hostage fiasco that showed the weakness of his consuming focus on “human rights.” How do you perceive that crippling affair?
Also, to be fair, while urging conservation, he did squat to get us energy independent. Maybe he dropped out of nuke school just too early?
A leader can only inspire those who are willing to listen. Americans are obsessively focused on immediate gratification and the hell with the future. One need only look at our credit card debt and the preponderance of “Sport Utility Vehicles” driven by cholesterol clogged citizens to get that clue.
#38–bh==incredibly poor post. I think your brain just hasn’t clicked in this morning? You seem to be limiting Carters failed Iranian Hostage Crises to the failed desert rescue/helicopter crash? I think it is more fair to recognize he stated he would not leave the whitehouse until the hostages were home====and the idiot stayed int he whitehouse for 444 days until he was out of office. The terrorist won!!! American foreign policy/domestic polices went unaddressed as Carter fingered his worry beads.
Leaders lead. Any president with the desire/insight to do so can get legislation submitted to Congress to do anything he wants to do. Carter wanted to preach to us rather than actually do anything.
The highest morality is pragmatism.
>>The highest morality is pragmatism.
Ah yes. The end justifies the means. You must REALLY love the Patriot Act, Gitmo, CCTV, prison ships, and the rest.
Welcome your new overlords, Bobster. You asked, and your God-less prayers were answered.
I hope you’re happy now.
No matter what you think of President Carter, he has the strongest moral compass of any president, ex or otherwise that I have been alive to experience. He has the courage to act on his convictions no matter how unpopular they may be. By laying his life and his reputation on the line for his beliefs he is an honorable man. Although I may question his actions sometimes, I believe Mr. Carter’s acts are never self serving and based on his very idealistic nature.
Rock on, Monster’s Laywer.
For the most part, I hate lawyers, but you seem to be one of the good ones.
At least for now.
Is it ethical to pander to racists and court Lester Maddox when running for office?
#43 yes he does.
bobbo said,
“#38–bh== I think it is more fair to recognize he stated he would not leave the whitehouse until the hostages were home====and the idiot stayed int he whitehouse for 444 days until he was out of office. The terrorist won!!! American foreign policy/domestic polices went unaddressed as Carter fingered his worry beads.”
Actually, it was Carter’s team that successfully negotiated the release without further loss of life. One can split hairs as to whether home means landed on US soil or aboard a US aircraft.
A Rambo style raid may have made a better movie, but at the end of the day, getting all the hostages out alive was Carter’s real goal. He should have told the military that going in guns blazing was likely to fail… just as it did. In that, I grant you, he was weak.
If after extricating the hostages safely you then want to reduce Iran to molten radioactive glass, that is your fantasy albeit a ridiculous policy as no one will ever trust you again.
American politicians and generals should have learned that blow back is hell from Ngô Đình Nhu long before forcefully installing the Shah in Iran.
BTW, those who believe the Ayatollahs were compelled to action because they feared the incoming Republican administration are delusional. Radical Muslims do not make such fine distinctions between American presidents as they are all perceived as infidels.
Here is a link to names and photos of the 20 top members of Obama’s Presidential staff in 2009.
http://tinyurl.com/5tguh3
jbenson2 said
“Here is a link to names and photos of the 20 top members of Obama’s Presidential staff in 2009.”
You missed the word “potential” or “possible” before ‘members’. As the discussion originated re VP, it’s interesting to speculate who would have to be added to the staff were one of the group tapped for the 2nd chair. It’s also refreshing to not see Hillary although she’d be a shoo-in for Health & Human Services (and perhaps a necessary selection) if prudently passed over for the VEEP slot.
#48 – Thanks for the suggestion – “potential” or “possible”.
I have changed the heading to read:
Obama’s Likely Cabinet and Staff Members
http://tinyurl.com/5tguh3
>>I bet you think is ethical to keep dictators
>>in power. He has done that.
Oh, you mean Dumbya?
I thought we were talking about Jimmeh Cahteh.
I had forgotten a lot about the Iran hostage crisis. For those like me, or those who were born too soon, here is Brittanica’s description of what happened:
http://tinyurl.com/5kllo9
About a week ago, TV Ontario had an electronic round table discussion about who McCain and Obama (with a short snippet on Hillary as she hadn’t given up yet) might choose as VP candidates, with five Washington, ah, experts. The program was interesting, if about 5 minutes too long for my taste. Aside from what has been suggested here, and by President Carter, there were several others, amongst which were the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania (I hope I remembered those states right) and even the slightly wicked suggestion that Obama might choose a moderate Republican (it was a man with experience in foreign affairs and international conflict). After all, if this is to be a new way of governing, what could be more different than that?
As for Hillary, they had several suggestions, including nomination to the Supreme Court. How do you like them apples?
Carter’s support for dictators, especially anti-Israel dictators, doesn’t strike me as moral.
Members of his own Carter Center are resigning over his propaganda on behalf of people who want to destroy Israel and the Jews.
Carter = Good President.
Clinton = Good Vice President choice
my choice for VP = Richardson, Edwards, or possibly Tim Roehmer
pedro = troll, not too bright
BigCarbonFoot = troll and less
Lyin’ Mike = geeze, do you really want an opinion ???
>>Your expertise in just caring about the brisk in
>>other people’s eyes while failing to see the beam in
>>yours is remarkable
The “brisk”? The FUCKING “BRISK”?? That’s the brisk? I never heard of a brisk. Do you man the “mote”?
Nothing I love better than a good Bible quote (especially from Matthew [ http://tinyurl.com/5o44uy ]), but a “brisk”????
Mister Mustard, Pedro uses words like that because he is smarter than the regular Joe he is talking at. I for one am impressed and await more pearls so that I too may understand. He and Mike have convinced me that Jimmy Carter is Satan incarnate and that GW Bush is the infallible God of all free people. (see: The Science of Sarcasm blog entry above).
At the end of the day, he’s either going to pick a New England liberal to prevent any states in that block from slipping to McCain, or a Southern blue dog (code for “conservative”) democrat to bolster the party, as it clearly can’t win on its liberal base alone.
Following that logic, there’s one obvious choice: Jim Webb. Former Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, and takes from McCain’s military base.
#50 – I think that’s a good page, but let’s be honest: Richardson doesn’t bring any electoral votes to Obama, and was a bust in the Clinton cabinet (he’s been a great governor, however).
As an aside, my darkhorses are Kathleen Sebelius and Janet Napolitano. However, at this point, they would be viewed as “not-Hillary” selections.
And everyone agrees: Jimmy Carter should just go ahead and die. He is and always was a dipshit and a wuss.
Kathleen Sebelius would be a very smart choice.
I agree. She solves the “executive management experience” problem, and the white female vote issue, but she doesn’t add anything to the electoral count.
Maybe B.O. doesn’t need the help when it comes to votes?
Will someone finally put this old man out of his misery! All ex presidents need to stand by this motto: KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND SMILE TO THE CAMERA!!!
lalla