David Wade going to State with JK

[MBS]

Really glad that David Wade will stick with JK! : )

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/kerry-if-confirmed-as-secretary-of-state-will-have-scores-of-top-jobs-to-fill/2013/01/17/3eeaa23a-601f-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_blog.html

. .. . Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) doesn’t have a large stable of foreign policy aides and pals to take with him should he be confirmed. He’s likely to take a few aides — his Senate chief of staff, David Wade, his committee staff director, Bill Danvers, and former committee staff director Frank Lowenstein among them — with him to Foggy Bottom. He’s also asked current deputy secretaries Bill Burns and Tom Nides to stay on for a while. Burns apparently will; Nides’ plans are unclear.

Plenty of jobs are potentially opening up as Hillaryland empties out. But sources say it’s most unlikely Kerry will be able to cut the same deal that Clinton had with President Obama, who gave her virtual carte blanche in hiring some 50 “principles” (assistant secretaries, undersecretaries), another 30 or so non-career appointees (senior officials not requiring Senate confirmation, such as chief of staff Cheryl Mills and all those special reps and such) and close to 100 lower-level aides.

Kerry will doubtless have substantial leeway in personnel matters, but look for much more White House input this time around in filling most of those jobs as they come open. Clinton’s immediate office staff are expected to move out quickly, along with others in her coterie. Still, we’re hearing many top officials are wanting to stay on.

[Mass]

1. Good news for Kerry.

He will need some people who are loyal to him and David Wade is certainly that.

[karynnj]

2. That is good news

I remember the article posted here when David Wade opted to return to Kerry's staff in 2009 when he was in the position of having been greatly respected for the work done on the 2008 election. It is also good that Lowenstein is going too.

As to not being able to get the "deal" HRC got, I suspect that it and a few articles speaking of how hard an act HRC will be to follow - including one that said that Kerry would likely be the "caretaker" of the Hillary Clinton/Obama foreign policy - are all part of the effort to deify Clinton. I do think it is clear that the State Department people respect, admire and like her, but I think like all things Clinton, her accomplishments have been hyped. (I also remember that in 2009, there were many long time Kerry people - most notably David Thorne - who got some of the coolest ambassadorships - with articles at the time saying that Clinton preferred they go to diplomatic professionals, ignoring the "Friends of Bill" that got them in the 1990s.)

Although this could be configured as being in the shadow of Kennedy, while that was real, I suspect that this is more US media pushed. It also might give him the lack of attention and space he needs to carefully work on things as he did for the last 4 years.

I also STILL remember the article on Kharzi a few months after Kerry persuaded him to do what Obama wanted, that there was a prominent article that spoke of Clinton - from DC - speaking to Kharzi using the very words that Kerry spoke of using (his own acceptance of the election). This may have been the clearest form of praise for what Kerry did - ascribing it to HRC. I do think that if Kerry is fortunate enough to have success anywhere, there will be many describing how the roots of whatever he accomplishes were set by HRC. (Shades of the Republicans claiming GWB deserved part of the credit for getting OBL) I just hope that there will be things that happen that the Republicans - and the Clintons - want to claim. That will mean Kerry has done well.

[blm]

3. I read it the same way - If anything, JK will have plenty of leeway because Obama will trust

his judgement MORE. Media hasn't figured out, yet, that Biden, Kerry and Hagel are team that predates Obama presidency and it was first Kerry, then Biden who brought Hagel along to the point where he climbed onto their page. Obama served with these guys on Foreign Policy and he knows damn well he can trust their judgements since he has relied on their counsel and analysis for 8 years now.

[karynnj]

4. Agree that Obama has chosen people he has known for years

OT - I also think it jarring that with less skill on the part of a pilot, all three of these men who will be Obama's main foreign policy team could have been lost. Somewhat not off target - That time could well have strengthened the ties between those three. I know that that was supposed to have been the time when they created the outlines for what became Kerry/Lugar/Berman - which - to my completely unbiased eye - was pure Kerry idea, articulated for years, on a different approach.

However, I think it ignores history to say that Clinton never influenced policy. She actually did in a big way. We have no idea what would have happened had she backed Biden (or the more nuanced policies of Kerry and Reed) when Obama was deciding the path forward on Afghanistan instead of backing Gates and the surge. It may have been Gates and the military who influenced Obama or it could have even been seen as politically the path of least resistance. Further, would the result have been different if Kerry, with his military background, greater foreign policy gravitas, and greater eloquence in making a case, would have been the SOS. (Yes, I know that in GDP or GD, I would get killed for how I set up the question.)

[blm]

5. Personally, I view her foreign policy influence as mixed, and mostly neocon

in nature. She seems so intent as being perceived as 'tough' that she lets others (usually chicken hawk, Cheney-types) who are also perceived as 'tough' to influence HER judgement.

[YvonneCa]

7. Interesting points. As one who thinks...

...JK has had huge FP influence all along, I find Clinton's role interesting. I think her connections and influence as First Lady for eight years became one of her (and the country's) best 'tools' for implementing President Obama's FP agenda. That, and her legendary tenacity served her, Obama and US foreign policy well, for the most part. IMO, there was a huge need to re-invigorate US support abroad. (GWB pretty much destroyed our reputation.) Having Hillary Clinton visible again did a lot to 'mend fences.'

But I also think Clinton has been implementing JK's long held FP goals, as outlined by President Obama. Now, with Kerry at state, those goals will be paramount. And the team of Kerry, Biden and Hagel are the exact persons to carry President Obama's foreign policy to the next level.

Happy New Year, DUJK!

[YvonneCa]

6. Yep. The media isn't...

...on this at all. Which may be a good thing, IMHO.

[wisteria]

8. Yes. n/t