Some diarists and writers in the progressive blogosphere have expressed disappointment or at least confusion at the very likely appointment of Senator Hillary Clinton to the post of Secretary of State. While the decision seems to please many people, others, who have been involved in the Obama campaign from the beginning, ask "How is this change we can believe in?" Many of us were first drawn to support Obama because of the change he promised in how the United States interacts with the rest of the world. It was not a joke to us, when Obama asserted his years as a child in Indonesia, as one of his foreign policy qualifications. No-one could come away from reading his book, Dreams from my father and not see an individual who has thought carefully about issues of rights and poverty all over the world.
I decided to voice my thoughts on this issue in a constructive manner and write the following letter to http://www.change.gov in the hope for the appointments of Samantha Power and Susan Rice to an Obama administration
I am writing to express my hope that some of the voices that helped craft President-elect Obama's foreign policy positions during the Democratic Primary will be afforded high status in his administration. I am speaking of people such as Samantha Power and Susan Rice. I am disappointed in the possible selection of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State because of her past judgments on foreign policy issues. In 2002 I could not understand the rush to war, and I was very disappointed in Senator Clinton's vote, and her linking (as Cheney also did at the time) of Al-Quaeda with Saddam Hussein. During her Senate career, she has positioned herself as a so-called "hawk" on foreign policy - while I hope that some of these positions were taken for purely political reasons (i.e., not to appear soft on issues of national security, and I understand that especially as a woman this may be a difficult balancing act), respectfully this is not the "change" that I donated, or worked so hard for during this campaign. I made many donations during the campaign, thousands of phone calls, knocked on doors, wrote letters, etc. I supported Senator Obama because I have two young sons (5 and 3), and I have pictured all those young boys the same age as my sons, growing up in Iraq, watching their homes and communities being destroyed, their parents and family members being killed, and fearing both for their future and my sons future, ten years from now, when these young boys are becoming men, and holding such rage and despair in their hearts because of what the United States did to their country and community.
I hope that Senator Obama has seen a different side to Senator Clinton and that she will indeed present a new face of the United States to the rest of the world, particularly given our last eight shameful years. The United States needs to have a strong stand and position on human rights, right from the start of this administration. It is said that President-elect Obama likes to hear strong views from all sides, well, I hope that Senator Clinton will also do this, and that Susan Rice and Samantha Power are given high-profile positions in an Obama administration, either on the National Security Council, or within the Department of State. Rice and Power have been allies to President-elect Obama who have been loyal to him throughout and embody the kind of change we fought for. Especially with respect to Human Rights, think of how powerful it would be to have Samantha Power be appointed to a human rights position within the cabinet (I don't know if appointing her to the UN Human Rights Council would be appropriate - I know during the Bush administration the US has opted out of this body). When President-Elect Obama announces his National Security Team I would hope that there will be spokespeople for Human Rights on this team, and that human rights become a cornerstone for our engagement will the rest of the world. It would send a clear signal to the rest of the world that the cowboy diplomacy of Bush-Cheney is over, and the stain on our reputation of the crimes of torture committed during the last eight years will finally be removed. With respect to this last point, I am hoping that the rumors surrounding John Brennan's possible appointment as CIA director are unfounded.
I would prefer Bill Richardson as Secretary of State - he has a proven track record and success as a diplomat, but I respect that President-elect Obama may have seen a side to Senator Clinton that we have not been privy to as yet. In any case, please elevate Susan Rice and Samantha Power to high-ranking positions within the administration so that all our voices will be heard.