Posted at 10:50 AM ET, 12/ 1/2008

Obama and Clinton: Answering the Whys

Why did they do it? (Photo by Jim Young of Reuters)

President-elect Barack Obama's decision to name Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of State likely will be viewed as one of the defining moments in the shaping of his administration.

At the heart of the new union between one-time rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination is a simple question: Why?

That is, why would Obama, a man who ran a campaign based on a new kind of politics that was an implicit rejection of the Clinton years, choose a potent symbol of those years as his chief diplomat?

And, why would Clinton, a woman who is used to being the boss, walk away from the Senate to serve as a cog in the vast Obama machine?

It's impossible to know the definitive answer to either of these two questions but here's our take, based on close observation of both politicians over the last two years.

Continue reading this post »

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Posted at 05:20 AM ET, 12/ 1/2008

FixCam Day in Preview: Barack and Hillary Together Again!

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- At 10:40 am this morning, the (sort of) unthinkable will happen: President-elect Barack Obama will announce Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his choice for secretary of State.

Obama is also expected to name retired Gen. Jim Jones as his National Security Adviser and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as the head of the Homeland Security Department; Robert Gates, the current secretary of Defense, is expected to be on hand and will remain in his post for the start of the Obama Administration.

"In this uncertain world, the time has come for a new beginning - a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century, and to seize the opportunities embedded in those challenges. To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power: our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example. The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that. They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America's role as a leader in the world," said President-elect Obama.

The naming of Obama's national security team comes just days after the attacks in Mumbai reminded Americans of the threat from international terrorism and amid further evidence that the domestic economy continues to struggle.

We'll have MUCH more in this space and at washingtonpost.com throughout the day about what picking Clinton as secretary of State means for the one-time rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

And, while we're at it, don't forget that the choice of Clinton as top diplomat means New York Gov. David Paterson (D) will have to appoint her replacement some time in the next few months. Check out our latest handicapping of the race to be New York's next senator.

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Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 11/30/2008

Fix Pick: Being Bobby Jindal

Is Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal the next Republican presidential nominee? Photo by Pat Semansky -- Getty Images

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Regular Fix readers know that we believe any conversation about the future faces of the Republican Party has to begin with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Jindal is the hottest commodity in Republican politics these days thanks to his youth (he's 37), his resume (Rhodes scholar, congressman, governor) and his obvious fresh-faced appeal (he's Indian American.)

And now he's starting to get a lot of buzz in the national press.

Witness Michael Leahy's piece in Saturday's Post where, set to a "Cedar Rapids" dateline, Leahy casts Jindal as the Republican answer to President-elect Barack Obama and an all-but-announced candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

Leahy writes:

"Jindal is, above all else, a political meteor, sharing Obama's precocious skills for reaching the firmament in a hurry. It was just four years ago, after losing a gubernatorial election, that he won election to Congress, and only this year that he became Louisiana's governor, the first nonwhite to hold the office since Reconstruction. And now, 10 months into his first term, the talk of a presidential bid is getting louder among his boosters."

Leahy adds that Jindal received a warm reception from a group of conservatives gathered in the Queen City who seemed convinced that he was planning to run for president despite his protestations to the contrary.

Even in denying his interest, however, Jindal previewed what could be a compelling, Obama-like message if he does decide to seek national office. "I think the American people are tired of campaigns and politics," Jindal said. "We need to get behind our new president and our new Congress, support them, and stop being Democrats and Republicans."

For those of you already salivating about the 2012 race -- and who isn't? -- this is a must-read piece about a man who will almost certainly be heard from over the coming months and years.

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Posted at 11:34 PM ET, 11/29/2008

Bill Clinton Will Release Identity of Donors

Former President Bill Clinton will release the names of several hundred thousand donors to his presidential library and foundation. Photo by Ng Han Guan -- Associated Press

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to make public 200,000 donors to his presidential library and foundation by the end of the year as part of an agreement with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team designed to allow his wife -- Hillary Rodham Clinton -- to be named Secretary of State, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement.

The former president has also agreed to allow the State Department and, potentially, the White House, to vet his personal business interests and speeches so as to avoid potential conflicts of interest, according to transition officials.

The outlines of the deal cut by Obama and the Clintons emerged last week as it became increasingly clear that the New York Senator would be named Secretary of State shortly after Thanksgiving.

Bill Clinton has long resisted calls to make public the donors to his library and foundation public, insisting, rightly, that he has complied with all federal laws governing the disclosure (or lack thereof) of the contributions and the contributors to the foundation.

During the primary fight between Obama and Hillary Clinton, the Illinois Senator's campaign described his opponent as a "veteran of non-disclosure" -- using the donors to the library as a cudgel in the argument.

With that potentially sticky-wicket now a non-issue, the nomination of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State appears to be on a glide path.

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Posted at 10:08 AM ET, 11/29/2008

Obama Cabinet Picks Creates Vulnerabilities

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The Fix is enjoying another day in paradise but took a bit of time out of the sun to pen a piece on how the large number of elected officials picked by President-elect Barack Obama for his Cabinet has created a series of potentially dangerous electoral openings.

We write:

"Roughly a dozen current Democratic officeholders are rumored to be vacating their current posts for jobs in the Obama administration, potentially leaving openings that carry varying levels of concern for Democratic strategists."

Among the most problematic: Arizona where Gov. Janet Napolitano's likely ascension to head the Department of Homeland Security means Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer will become governor.

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Posted at 03:20 PM ET, 11/26/2008

The Fix Breaks

The next five days (hopefully) for the Fix and Mrs. Fix

The Fix, laid low by a post-election/post-field hockey season cold for the past ten days, has decided to seek warmer climes on the Left Coast from which to convalesce.

Since everyone who has even a passing interest in this blog knows we can't totally stay away from politics, we won't even pretend that we are going cold turkey (ahem) from posting over the next five days -- or so.

But, we will be slowing the pace considerably as we get some rest and relaxation in sunny California.

In the meantime, if you are looking for other news on President-elect Barack Obama and the transition within the federal government, make sure to check out these new sites on washingtonpost.com:

• Federal Eye by Ed O'Keefe: Fix 2.0 goes in-depth inside the new federal government.

• In the Loop by Al Kamen: The man you know and love is now fully web-ified.

• 44: From the people who brought you "The Trail" comes a blog aimed at covering every jot and tittle of the Obama Administration.

• Inauguration Watch: Everything you need to know about Obama's inauguration. Literally.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Posted at 12:57 PM ET, 11/26/2008

The Best BBQ in Texas

Barbecue in all its glory

DALLAS, Texas -- The Fix is en route to sunnier climes for the Thanksgiving holiday (more on that later) but we can't resist taking note of one of the best things about flying through DFW Airport: Cousin's Barbecue.

Cousin's is not your typical airport food; it's one of the best regarded BBQ joints in all of Texas that just happens to have a location in DFW.

For our money, the brisket platter with a side of green beans and macaroni and cheese (or mashed potatoes) washed down with a sweet tea and maybe a little cherry cobbler (when in Rome...) is the best thing Cousin's has going, but we are open to persuasion.

So, if you are ever flying through DFW, do not even think about going anywhere other than Cousin's to eat. Seriously.

While we're on the topic, make sure to check out Calvin Trillin's ode to Texas BBQ in the recent New Yorker (hat tip to Jonathan Martin, a man who knows his way around a smoker) and Texas Monthly's list of the top 50 barbecue joints in the Lonestar State.

Happy eating!

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