Will Experience Trump Change for Obama

Barack Obama promised change, galvanizing many younger voters who believed America could become a fairer country and end its involvement in Iraq.

As a presidential candidate, Obama had promised a new vision of politics.  A politics not divided along partisan lines, that would break with the old Washington ways where access to decision makers was corrupted by donations, lobbyists and a culture of insiders.

But so far he has turned mainly to people with reputations as practitioners of tough, pragmatic politics, and long Washington histories.

Over the past six months, America has gone from prosperous, if troubled, to an economy on the brink. A nimble, smoothly functioning administration must take priority over experiments in open governance.

Obama unveiled his economic team this week.

He chose Tim Geithner, the chairman of the Federal Reserve’s New York branch, as treasury secretary.  Some Democrats have already claimed that Geithner was part of the regulatory structure that led to the Wall Street collapse.

But he is also waist-deep in the $700 billion rescue plan, giving him a seamless entry into the job.

Larry Summers, a Harvard economist and treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, will be chief economic adviser in the White House. Summers is known for his flair and brilliance as an economist, not his management skills.

Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, served as a Clinton advisor, and knows both how to construct a White House office and that this is no time for experiments.    Obama once joked during a charity roast of his friend that Emanuel, a former ballet dancer, is more likely to perform Machiavelli’s The Prince than Giselle.

Obama has chosen more diplomatic figures to balance Emanuel.

Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader and Obama’s choice for health secretary, is a skilled and well-liked former member of Congress. David Axelrod, to be this administration’s Karl Rove equivalent, can serve as a tempering force. He was responsible for crafting Obama’s campaign message and, by the standards of past campaigns, kept it away from the low road.

Appointing Hillary Clinton secretary of state is, however, the most disappointing for some Obama supporters. They recall the fierce early debates over withdrawal of troops in Iraq, the issue prompting them to turn up and make phone calls for a relative unknown.

For some, her appointment represents the biggest betrayal of the promise of a new style of politics.

Washington Post columnist, David Ignatius wrote:

“Clinton is immensely talented but it could be the wrong job for her, since it has the potential to undermine Obama’s own transformational role in foreign policy – perhaps the greatest opportunity he has. Why subcontract this to Clinton and her entourage?”

Sadly for Obama, he will probably not have time to deal with issues such as the Middle East in the way he might have liked to in his first year. He needs someone who can command immediate respect on the world stage and represent America’s interests with flair.

But think back to the campaign. Clinton proved herself the ultimate team player during the final months. No one could fault her endorsement speech at the Democratic convention. Then she took to the road and did more than 60 rallies.

Obama and Clinton may prove more alike than different: tough, determined, methodical. Obama needs a secretary of state who will consult and listen, and can lead, once the direction is set. And Clinton is that sort of person.

Obama’s task now is to manage his team of rivals and drive the agenda towards braver policies than his pragmatic, Washington-savvy team might want.

Putting in seasoned people at this time is the only responsible choice.

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