…you were President.
That thought’s been haunting me all night and today – after the deal which isn’t a deal; the downgrade (deserved despite its irresponsible source); Drew Westen’s must-read article in the Sunday NYT, “What Happened to Obama?”*; the market gyrations and gold bugs’ delight; and, last night at the Seattle Chamber Festival, sitting through the agonized anger and sweet grief of Elgar’s Quintet for Piano and Strings in A Minor.
At the 2008 Democratic caucuses, Ann was the Obama delegate; I was for Clinton, but later came round to Obama. Would Hillary have proved tougher, more directive, more capable of striking a true deal, more willing to face down Petraeus, and more able to sell the public? I don’t know of course -- but just think, with Bill whispering in her ear and if she channeled the Hillary of the 1995 Beijing Woman’s Conference or the 1998 Davos Conference, wouldn’t that be better? With Biden at State? Gates at Defense. Obama learning how the Senate really works under his mentor (soon to be?) Majority Leader Dick Durbin? Would we have surged Afghanistan? Or be flirting with staying in Iraq?
Sure, the Obama haters hate her, too. But if she could win over no-nonsense New Yorkers as the carpetbagger, wouldn’t she likely win over the rest of us reasonable skeptics? Surely.
Oh, how I wish….
(Here’s a link to that must-read Westen article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/opinion/sunday/what-happened-to-obamas-passion.html?scp=1&sq=what%20Happened%20to%20Obama?&st=cse.)
No comments:
Post a Comment