Bill Clinton mentioned for wife's Senate seat

[missTheBigDog]

Source: CNN

On Monday, President-elect Barack Obama announced that he asked his former rival to be his secretary of state.

That means the scramble begins to replace Clinton on Capitol Hill. Among those mentioned to take her seat as New York's junior senator is her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

In an op-ed column last week in The Washington Post, journalists Karl Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac urged Paterson to "send Bill Clinton to the Senate."

If that happened, Clinton would become the third former president to go from the White House to Capitol Hill.

Bill Clinton would bring gravitas to the job, and he obviously knows his way around Washington.

But some Democratic strategists who used to work for Bill Clinton don't think the former president would want to go from leader of the free world to being the junior senator from New York. Clinton's office deferred to Paterson's office when asked for a comment.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/01/clinton.replacem...

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I think it's ridiculous to think he'd even consider it.

[barbtries]

1. i think he'd do a great job

guess we'll see.

[blueclown]

2. Some writer has way too much time on his hands. n/t

[Deja Q]

3. I still disagree with various decisions he made as President...

but one thing nobody can ignore is that he balanced the budget and got the US back on track. And that eclipses all of the duff decisions he had made.

[harmonicon]

15. I agree

when I was 18, in '97, I had a job that paid more than when I was 28 with a master's degree. However, Senator is very different from president. I think they could find someone who would have more to prove to New York and to themselves in the job and would thus do a better job.

[onehandle]

4. Go Bill! nt

[Robb]

5. AC on CNN said it well last night

"It's hard to go from number 1 in the world to number 100 in the senate."

[Captain Hilts]

9. That's not how Bubba's ego works, actually.

He'll always be the Big Dog and always be "Mr. President."

[blm]

22. He'll always be GHWBush and Jackson Stephens' BCCI clean up boy to me.

.

[Gman]

6. He'll never do it

Why step from leadership on the world stage to jr. senator from NY?

Perhaps because of LOVE??? To box himself in so he doesn't upstage Hillary?

[Captain Hilts]

8. It would get Patterson out of a fix to appt. someone obviously not interested in the job long-term.

[Captain Hilts]

7. It's just journalists talking about it. But Patterson has a VERY difficult decision to make here...

and the temporary appt. of someone who clearly would NOT want the seat permanently - such as Bubba - makes a lot of sense. Caroline Kennedy should be in the mix too. Flip a coin between the two of them and then let the folks who want to vie for the seat do so for 1.5 years.

Patterson just doesn't have enough support to alienate some groups that want their candidate to get a leg up on the competition.

[Gman]

26. Makes sense

The Big Dog would not want to be a mere mortal as a senator for very long. However, it would take his profile down a peg or two and allow Hillary to rise above him in stature especially in the crucial first couple of years. Bill could then not run for a full term and Hillary would have time to be established on the world stage beyond Bill's shadow.

I had favored Bill for UN ambassador but I know he's been interested in being head of the UN too. I can now very well see that happening in a few years.

[eilen]

10. That's not happening, if it does, I will be disappointed

Not anything against Bill Clinton but I think his political capital has been spent and it is time for his wife to make history. He can use his considerable influence and talents with fundraising, philanthropy, and consulting. I wonder if he is on the short list for the DNC chairmanship.

We have other politicians in NY that are up for the job. One is Andrew Cuomo, the other is Byron Brown, the mayor of Buffalo, I think Suozzi might be considered and I'm sure there are others. We need to develop more Democrats in political office, not constantly retread our old ones.

[Captain Hilts]

13. The point is that since there are several GOOD candidates, it's unfair for Patterson to give one...

a boost to winning in 2010. That's why someone obviously not interested in the job permanently - such as Clinton or Caroline Kennedy - is a politically good choice.

[patrice]

11. It should go to whomever was bumped aside so that Hillary could run for it. nt

[Captain Hilts]

12. No. The ship has left the dock for Nita Lowry...

as much as I like her.

[snooper2]

14. Oh fuck that....

WE ARE DONE WITH THE CLINTONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



THIS IS NOT A PLUTOCRACY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. except for the kennedy's. nt

[Captain Hilts]

30. So RFKjr, or Andrew Cuomo or Caroline K should be appointed?????

[snooper2]

31. Nope...no more dynasty

nt

[hlthe2b]

16. I think it is nuts to think he'd want to do that...

Could he do it--of course. But why on earth, would he? The world is his oyster right now and he can have some semblance of global impact... That is very important to Clinton...

[The Wizard]

18. Too bad

Mario Procaccino or Carmine De Sapio are unavailable.

[suston96]

19. What a waste our former presidents are. Their experience should be put to work......

Take George W. Bush, soon to be a former president. What can be done with him?

[cactusfractal]

20. Well, given the immigrant labor situation...

We could put Dubya to work landscaping. I mean, he has all that experience clearin' brush when he shoulda been presidentin'...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

23. bill has been pretty useful w.his own foundation. georgie boy will ruin something else after this

mercifully it wont be us (again)

[Rebubula]

21. No.

Just no.

Of course, if the people of NY feel differently, then who am I to oppose?

[AllexxisF1]

24. .looc eb looc tahT

!sdrawkcab si epyt I gnihtyreve ?etis siht htiw gorw gnihtemos rieht si ro em tsuj ti sI kO

[SOS]

25. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

nt

[JackRiddler]

27. Will the nightmare never end?

[hughee99]

28. I hear that Spitzer is available.

He's already won a statewide election.

[Captain Hilts]

29. I could interpret that any number of ways...give it to Sprizter's wife!

Isn't she a Harvard law grad or something?

McCall
Caroline K
Big Dog

Someone, anyone, who won't run in '10.

[hughee99]

32. I was thinking Spitzer could fill the seat, but probably wouldn't run in '10. n/t