An Obama National Security Pick More Important than Hillary

By David Corn | December 1, 2008 11:05 AM | | Comments (8)

All the talk is Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. As President-elect Barack Obama announced his national security team on Monday morning, the headliner was indeed the junior senator from New York State. While this move remains a surprise and perhaps even a gamble--I've had my say on this--it could be that the more important pick of the day is retired General James Jones to be Barack Obama's national security adviser.

One of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's many accomplishments was to wreck the national security apparatus of the United States government--with key assists from Condi Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. For years, Foggy Bottom and the CIA were at war with the Pentagon and the White House, while the national security adviser (that would be Rice) became not a policy broker (as the job requires) but an enabler. She allowed ideologues to run wild and to trump expertise. She made sure that dissenting opinions were not placed front and center before the president. Foreign policy became the territory of a small band of arrogant know-it-alls who, it turned out, did not know nearly enough.

On Bush and Cheney's watch, the system broke down--by design. It's imperative that the foreign policy machinery of the US government be revived and restored. There needs to be a working balance between the intelligence community, the military, and the diplomats. There needs to be a free flow of ideas. The views of true experts inside and outside the government ought to be factored into major decision-making. And it is the job of the national security adviser to ensure this happens.

That mission will fall to Jones. At a press conference on Monday morning, Obama said that Jones

is uniquely suited to be a strong and skilled national security adviser....He will bring to the job the dual experience of serving in uniform and as a diplomat. He has commanded a platoon in battle, served as Supreme Allied Commander in a time of war, and worked on behalf of peace in the Middle East....He understands the connection between energy and national security, and has worked on the frontlines of global instability - from Kosovo to northern Iraq to Afghanistan. He will advise me and work effectively to integrate our efforts across the government, so that we are effectively using all elements of American power to defeat unconventional threats and promote our values.

Jones is an intellectual and a former Marine. He was not gung-ho on the Iraq invasion. He is regarded as a forceful leader who understands the value of diplomacy. He is no pushover, no ideologue. He appears to have the backbone and standing to be the guy in the middle of the national security vortex--someone who can referee (if it comes to that) bureaucratic disputes that arise between the Pentagon, Foggy Bottom, and Langley. Given his experience, he should be able to advise Obama and oversee the flow of information and views that come from State, Defense, and the intelligence community. It's a tough job--and perhaps the most critical post within Obama's national security team. Believe it or not--it's not always about the Clintons. How Jones performs in this position may be more crucial to the success of Obama's presidency than what Clinton does in her new job.

Tags: Barack Obama, Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, foreign policy, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, James Jones, national security, national security adviser, Obama administration, Obama presidency, Obama transition, Paul Wolfowitz, secretary of state

    Comments

  1. DC,

    "Jones is an intellectual and a former Marine."

    There are no former Marines. (or so say my Marine pals)

    Other than that, I think you're right on every point you posted.

    Posted by: capt Author Profile Page | December 1, 2008 12:09 PM

  2. Why does David Corn need to assign an importance rating to either Hillary or James? Might it be possible that both would contribute equally in the new Administration?

    By the way, few of us are as obsessed with the Clintons, whom "it's not always about", as certain members of the media. It's getting old. Find someone else to complain about. You are boring the rest of us to tears.

    Posted by: CapeCoder Author Profile Page | December 1, 2008 6:30 PM

  3. Yes please leave the Clinton obsession to Tweety. When it comes to the Clintons he's in his own little world and sounds deranged. Saw Hardball today for the first time since the election and there's a definite change in his tone. His thinly veiled campaigning for the US senate from his seat on MSNBC not only looks ridiculous it ought to be illegal.

    Jones is an interesting character. According to Wikipedia he turned Rice down twice when she asked him to be Undersecretary of State in 2006. It's pretty obvious from the jobs he did take, chair of the of the congressionally created Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq. and special envoy for Middle East Security (Rice's Israeli and Palestinian peace initiative) that he wasn't interested in getting directly invested in carrying out the failed Bush policies that were going to junked.

    Not thrilled with some of the civilian boards he's been on but I'm guessing having a peek inside Boeing, Institute for 21st Century Energy and Chevron gives him some insights and connections that will prove useful.

    Posted by: markg8 Author Profile Page | December 1, 2008 9:05 PM

  4. 150 MPG SUV Suppressed by Auto Industry

    http://tinyurl.com/6l3sjq

    Posted by: as_if! Author Profile Page | December 1, 2008 9:30 PM

  5. Mind Boggling - The True Cost of The Bailout

    has now exceeded the total cost for World War 2, The New Deal, Korean War, Iraq Invasion, Vietnam, The Louisiana Purchase, The Marshall Plan, S&L Bailout, Landing on the moon & NASA. COMBINED! In inflation adjusted numbers!

    http://tinyurl.com/6m4wgn

    Posted by: as_if! Author Profile Page | December 1, 2008 9:42 PM

  6. Oh Please, Hillary is a joke. Her over blown reputation will come to haunt her. She failed at health care , she ran an incompetent campaign yet he rewards her with this. I am very disappointed in Obama!!!!!

    Posted by: Skylark Author Profile Page | December 2, 2008 5:06 PM

  7. "Posted by: Skylark | December 2, 2008 5:06 PM"

    Whatta maroon.

    Posted by: Patsi Author Profile Page | December 3, 2008 12:36 PM

  8. Total maroon. Keep it up Nancianne.

    Posted by: EuroTom Author Profile Page | December 4, 2008 7:30 PM

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