Reply #14: The order of things:

[Donna Zen]

Although I believe Clark is the strongest candidate for the bottom of the ticket, and I believe this intellectually rather than as a bias, he would be an excellent choice for Sec. of State. From what he has written and said, I think the order of things would have to go like this:

• Rebuilt alliances with our natural friends. Clark has undoubtedly maintained all of his contacts with the exception of perhaps Blair, so think he has laid the table. I would expect to look for him "in the air" much of the time.

• Get someone immediately in a ME liason position--someone "big" to "huge."

• Talk to NK. Clark doesn't like the position bushco has put us in with the Chinese at the table. He said it has provided the Chinese leverage over us which was unnecessary.

• Lobby for increased funding for the State Dept. It is currently a step-child of the administration.

• Work steadily towards consolidation of our "foreign aid" into a sub-dept of state. Currently much of this money is ill spent because one dept has no idea what another dept is doing. Clark's philosophy calls for a dollar for dollar match on "soft" vs "hard" power. He believes that soft power is more effective than hard power as do a growing number of voices on both the right and the left.

• Institute a new and expanded policy body that governs the current NATO countries.

• Build a policy web in the ME that includes both Israel and its neighbors. This forum would be connected but independent of any negotiations that were taking place between P/I.

• Long range--Restructure the UN. He has said that we need to pay our bills, and use our leverage to fix the obvious things that our broken.

• Clark does not necessarily trust Putin, but by strengthening our position where we are speaking not as the US alone, but as a member of a group of "friends" we can be more effective.

Of course we have to accept that Holbrooke will almost certainly get State. Really.