Just curious but wasn't Susan Rice quick to jump on the "We are all Georgians now" band wagon and quick to push the idea that Russian attacked Georgia instead of the other way around when Georgia was busy bombing it's own citizens in a series of ethnic cleansing tactics??? Wasn't this person right on efforts to provoke another cold war with Russia??

I'm not sure about anything except her brilliance but that incident left me wondering about her.

Apropos of nothing, I think all of Bill Clinton's incoming and outgoing phone calls should be reported in a public web-accessible database, and that his physical location should be constantly reported via GPS in the same way.

Just sayin'.

"Obama would be wise to elevate the U.N. ambassadorship to cabinet-level rank.."

Obama would be wiser if he raised the EPA to Cabinet-level.

It wasnn't a stepping stone for Adlai Stevenson. It was his swan song. (His supporters wanted him to be president or, at least, secretary of state). He died while serving in that position.

Whatever happened to Sam Power?

Why not Jimmy Carter?

Whatever happened to Sam Power?

Maybe the monster will give her an ambassadorship to Great Britain.

Actually, I believe virtually all UN ambassadors got cabinet rank up until the first Bush Administration.

I'm wondering how Joe Biden's role will play into Hillary's position. He has so much fantastic foreign policy experience. I know she has the green light now to appoint her own staff AND to call Obama directly.

But I sure hope she doesn't "plow right over him" or otherwise get lost in the diplomacy shuffle.

It seems they are well-respected friends and that as indicated, Obama will include Biden in Hillary's activities...

So this is really just my own interim imagination going a bit awry...

How many seconds left now?

I need a stop-watch!!

Someone of Dr. Susan Rice's caliber will certainly influence the shaping of U.S. policy even as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. And the extra good news is that the U.N. itself will benefit from her contribution. It's a two-way channel and I don't see any bad news in it at all.

Joey, you ARE right. So, Susan Rice is a bipartisan foreign policy establishment pick. Ho-hum.

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Steve, as for those past UN ambassadors?

Adlai had Jack Kennedy cut his balls off him during the Cuban missile crisis. This was after Eleanor Roosevelt practically forced Jack to give him a position somewhere after JFK said no way, no how on Stevenson at State.

Richardson went to trumping up charges and playing on stereotypes about Chinese in America in order to cover his ass on Los Alamos. Then, thinking he actually had a chance for prez, or high-level Cabinet rank, rather than being the No. 1 choice to run for Pete Domenici's Senate seat.

Albright went to being disingenuous about her own ethnic heritage and knowledge thereof, a piddly tick mark against a piddly record. And, has gone on to be a bipartisan foreign policy establishment "senior voice" and create a foundation. (Does about ever SoS now do that?)

Young? Ahh, yes, gone on to eventually become a network talking head on "back in the day" civil rights issues.

Poppy Bush? Yes, great career on his GOP resume, but not so great for America.

D.P. Moynihan? Surprised he didn't write a policy paper about his time there.

Respect level? As far as political strength, Stevenson's probably negative numbers. Most the others are pretty bland.

To quote a famous campaign phrase, you're still smearing lipstick on a pig, Steve.

Tablogloid, as Obama's pick for EPA (as well as Interior) will be a "safe" Gang Green-vetted pseudoenvironmentalist, elevating the position won't mean a lot.

SocraticGadfly, why did you leave out John Negroponte, John Danforth, John Bolton and Zalmay Khalizad who held this position during the Bush administration? Danforth was the only one qualified, and was only in office for 5 months. He resigned when Condi Rice was appointed SOS, which he was led to believe he would be nominated for, following Colin Powell.

"Impeach," I'm just critiquing the ones Steve mentioned as allegedly being the best of the bunch.

Dr. Death Negroponte and Eff the World Bolton need no further critique from me. Danforth was that naive, dumb enough to think that today's GOP actually wanted somebody like him.

Khalilzad? Maybe he could move back to Kabul and we could make a movie about him, "The Last President of Afghanistan."

Does Socratic Gadfly ever have anything positive to say here? Oh, that's right, a Green/third party/whatever purist who would rather see another four years of Republicans destroying the country.
Apparently the last person on earth, along with Ralph Nader, who thinks there was no difference between Bush and Gore, or Kerry.
Surprised you even want to continue living in a country with leadership willing to compromise on anything. I guess it's better to just stand on the sidelines and throw stones, accomplishing nothing.