Clinton’s Role as a Lobbyist (for the Administration) Expands

[onehandle]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — When Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walked out of a gilded room in the Capitol on Wednesday, after a breakfast with lawmakers, she said she was tickled to be back in familiar surroundings. But the occasion was anything but festive. Mrs. Clinton was on a mission to save one of President Obama’s few foreign policy victories: an arms-control treaty with Russia suddenly jeopardized by the refusal of a single Republican to allow a vote on the pact in the Senate this year.

It is a role Mrs. Clinton expects to play frequently in coming months, as the White House girds for a more hostile Congress bent on challenging or even blocking the Obama administration’s foreign policy agenda, whether arms control, the Middle East peace process, the war in Afghanistan or the tentative outreach to Cuba. “There will be differences about the best way to proceed,” she said in an interview. “I do hope that the new Congress respects the time-honored tradition of leaving politics at the water’s edge.”

With eight years in the Senate, half in the minority, and a reputation for getting along with Republicans, Mrs. Clinton is well equipped to be an emissary to Congress, several administration officials said. But the blow to the so-called New Start treaty — despite two dozen meetings and phone calls by Mrs. Clinton — shows that her skills may not be enough in this combative political environment.

Mrs. Clinton told Senate and House leaders on Wednesday that the administration was determined to get New Start approved, despite the surprise announcement Tuesday by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Republican point man on the issue, that he could not foresee a vote in the lame-duck session. She said she planned to contact Mr. Kyl in coming days. “I understand the concerns my former colleagues have about this treaty,” Mrs. Clinton said. “There’s a lot more outreach that needs to be done.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/world/18start.html

[happygoluckytoyou]

1. obama/clinton in 2012.... clinton/? in 2016..... palin/todd in...yeah...right..NEVER

[Winterblues]

2. As Rachel pointed out last night, this was supposed to be a gimme.

This was Raonald Reagan's baby.. This was where his famous quote "Trust but Verify" came from...Republicans have been for this completely in the past..The last Start Treaty to get passed was done by a 95-0 vote..The entire deal now is for Republicans to block every single thing put forth by the Administration. They feel politics is far more important than America's security..If Obama fails to get this very Republican treaty ratified his entire foreign policy will be dead.....Republicans know this and will filibuster ratification...

[groundloop]

3. You'd think there'd be at least a handful of sane repug senators

It's one thing to be able to have an honest discussion about something and disagree, but to just blindly put their political fortunes ahead of this country is asinine.