July 3, 2009
COMMENTARY: Where's Hillary?
By Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA (HNN) -- As an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, I was heartened to see her successfully selected for the Secretary of State post.
What I was not prepared for was the virtually immediate elimination of her from key international spotlights that normally feature someone of this level.
If only for PR purposes, one might reasonably imagine at least the appearance of a diplomatic partnership between the President and the Secretary of State as they would publicly track the huge cauldron of international events.
Instead, as with the "kitchen cabinet" czars overshadowing some other cabinet secretaries, the President himself is dispatching negotiators carrying diplomatic portfolios to international hot spots while we seldom get to see Clinton even nodding in agreement.
Presidential press flacks are actually responding to media questions Clinton ought to be fielding. Instead of Hillary flying to negotiate the Israeli-Palestinian discussions, we have a guy named Ross. Instead of Hillary at least publicly dispatching George Mitchell to Cairo and other stops in the area, it is the President himself.
What's going on here?
What we seem to be witnessing is President Obama's personal or emotional need to be here, there and everywhere in what comes off looking like a desperate need to be seen really on top of everything and running everything personally.
However the very best of intentions, this kind of approach hardly bespeaks good executive management and, more critically, does not appear as support for key appointees especially to those abroad.
It would seem that the last several weeks with the monstrous mess in Iran, we might at least have seen the President and Secretary of State "huddling" on television and appearing to meet with key advisors and members of Congress on these rapidly changing events.
Is it then a matter that this President does not want anyone else in that Washington spotlight? And why have none of the media hot shots competing for tv time to pose questions at press conferences even raised these and related questions?
So the question is worth repeating: Has anyone here seen Hillary, Hillary the Secretary of State … you remember her, don't you?
* * *
Joseph J. Honick is an international consultant to business and government and writes for many publications, including huntingtonnews.net. Honick can be reached at jhonick@gmaint.net. This commentary was first published in O'Dwyer's PR Report and is reprinted by permission.
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COMMENTARY: Where's Hillary?
By Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA (HNN) -- As an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, I was heartened to see her successfully selected for the Secretary of State post.
What I was not prepared for was the virtually immediate elimination of her from key international spotlights that normally feature someone of this level.
If only for PR purposes, one might reasonably imagine at least the appearance of a diplomatic partnership between the President and the Secretary of State as they would publicly track the huge cauldron of international events.
Instead, as with the "kitchen cabinet" czars overshadowing some other cabinet secretaries, the President himself is dispatching negotiators carrying diplomatic portfolios to international hot spots while we seldom get to see Clinton even nodding in agreement.
Presidential press flacks are actually responding to media questions Clinton ought to be fielding. Instead of Hillary flying to negotiate the Israeli-Palestinian discussions, we have a guy named Ross. Instead of Hillary at least publicly dispatching George Mitchell to Cairo and other stops in the area, it is the President himself.
What's going on here?
What we seem to be witnessing is President Obama's personal or emotional need to be here, there and everywhere in what comes off looking like a desperate need to be seen really on top of everything and running everything personally.
However the very best of intentions, this kind of approach hardly bespeaks good executive management and, more critically, does not appear as support for key appointees especially to those abroad.
It would seem that the last several weeks with the monstrous mess in Iran, we might at least have seen the President and Secretary of State "huddling" on television and appearing to meet with key advisors and members of Congress on these rapidly changing events.
Is it then a matter that this President does not want anyone else in that Washington spotlight? And why have none of the media hot shots competing for tv time to pose questions at press conferences even raised these and related questions?
So the question is worth repeating: Has anyone here seen Hillary, Hillary the Secretary of State … you remember her, don't you?
* * *
Joseph J. Honick is an international consultant to business and government and writes for many publications, including huntingtonnews.net. Honick can be reached at jhonick@gmaint.net. This commentary was first published in O'Dwyer's PR Report and is reprinted by permission.
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