Reply #23: That is really not true with either

[karynnj]

Any high level employee in any company had a great deal of latitude in doing their job. I doubt Obama wants to micromanage running every department - that's not his management style. Still, both Powell and Clinton will constrain their public comments to the positions Obama decides on. By the way, using Powell as the example falls apart quickly - he did after all make the case for the Iraq War to the UN - even though he had a major disagreement here.

The fact is that the President is the boss and sets the policy - he can also fire a SoS. That is not a "barely senior partner".

Note that even this article does not describe their relationship as warm, but comfortable. I would assume Biden has far more input on policy. For a different view of the politics behind Obama's foreign policy, there's this view:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/27821081/obamas_chess_masters