The Emasculation of Hillary Clinton Continues

The key to understanding Obama is to appreciate that politics trumps all other considerations when he makes a decision. During the campaign many noted how he "threw under the bus" his mother, his pastor, his long-time foreign policy adviser, etc. when they became political liabilities. Since winning the election politics continues to reign supreme. His first appointment to the new Administration was his political director.And it was not a coincidence.

His political handiwork could be seen in his trek down to the Capitol to talk to House Republican leaders and to his surgical removal of Hillary Clinton from any important foreign policy decisions. Even before Hillary's confirmation her political dissection began to take place. She had to endure the public examination of Bill's foundation contributors and the humiliation of having her number 2 at State appointed without consulting her.

But all this pales in comparison to Obama's decision to set up a White House centric foreign policy apparatus. Not content with only the National Security Council residing in the White House, Obama created the posts of Envoy reporting to him and not the State Department. In his announcement of the first mission of Middle East Envoy George Mitchell the President himself, sitting between Clinton and Mitchell, made it abundantly clear that the Middle East was a priority for this Administration and that Mitchell ( who will report to him) was being charged by the White House and not the Secretary of State.

Then today, the Associated Press is reporting that Obama's friend and adviser Samantha Powers, who left the campaign because she called Hillary a "monster", is coming back as a senior White House foreign policy adviser. Up until now Powers has been serving as the head of a State Department transition team and you can bet Hillary did not choose her for that job.

By selecting Clinton, Obama rid himself of his most dangerous political adversary. In her new role, Clinton is forbidden to participate in poltics. And now he has effectively marginalized her as a force within the Administration. The question is how long will Hillary stay. I would guess until Obama fulfills his pledge to pay off her campaign debt.