The Associated Press is trying to start some MESS between Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton

[redstate_democrat]

AP: Cracks Appear in Obama Foreign Policy Team

WASHINGTON — The first sign of cracks in President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy team of rivals emerged on Monday as his choices for secretary of state and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations visited the State Department.

As Secretary of State-pick Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.N. envoy-choice Susan Rice separately visited the diplomatic agency's headquarters in Washington's Foggy Bottom neighborhood, persons familiar with the transition said that Rice wants to install her own transition team inside the department.

Such a move by an incoming U.N. ambassador is rare, if not unprecedented, because the job is based at the United Nations in New York, where Rice already has a small transition staff, the sources familiar with the incoming administration.

The push by Rice, an early Obama supporter whose position the President-elect wants to elevate to a cabinet post, is also a signal that she intends to use her influence with the new president to play a more significant role than previous U.N. envoys, they said. The transition sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Officials with Clinton's transition team declined to comment on the matter, and aides to Rice could not immediately be reached. State Department officials declined to comment on issues related to the transition.

MORE http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/08/cracks-appear-in-obama-fo_n_149486.html

Yeah, right. I don't believe one word of this crap.

[burythehatchet]

1. I love saying "AP is not a credible news source".

[DCBob]

2. Well, not surprising there might be some turf battles. It is inevitable.

Obama has selected some strong, aggressive individuals. This is the normal evolution of a new administration. If there are major disputes, Obama will handle it. Non story.

[karynnj]

3. Note that neither the Clinton or Rice people were willing to speak to them

and they do not even have an anonymous source in the state department speaking of problems. They really have exactly three things - 2 of which were already known.


1) The fact that Obama said that Rice is in the cabinet
2) Rice supported Obama
3) The new thing - that Rice wants to have an office in the state department as well as in DC.

From this they added dissatisfaction with 1 by a previous SoS. On 2) they echoed the more public story with Richardson to imply that HRC thought Rice disloyal. Now, it may be true that HRC would have preferred not having Rice in the cabinet and might dislike that she was an Obama supporter, but this article has no proof of either. (I seriously doubt that HRC can really think it possible to "punish" all Obama supporters - he after all is the President)

[Mass]

4. Ah! The charm of a good cat fight! AP could not resist.

Seriously, this article is totally empty, not even crediting the usual anonymous insiders. This should tell us a lot.

Also, when I read the article the first time, it was written in such a sloppy way that it said that Kerry would "hold "swift and fair" confirmation hearings for Kerry."!! (They corrected it since).

So, I would not put any stock to anything in this article at all.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. There's nothing like a little controversy to increase your audience.

How many times during the primaries and the campaign did we see the media speculate on perceived slights, take comments out of context and sometimes manufacture rumors to spark the interest of their audience? They are masters at this.

[NashVegas]

6. Bush Admin Assholes Feeding the Press

I don't know if it's true or not, but I know where it's coming from.

[ProSense]

7. Why do they have two versions of the story?

Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice visit State Department

By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Two major figures in President-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy team both had briefings at the State Department on Monday amid speculation they are jockeying for position in the new administration.

Secretary of State pick Hillary Rodham Clinton and potential U.N. envoy Susan Rice, whose post Obama will elevate to a cabinet position, separately visited the agency's headquarters in Washington's Foggy Bottom neighborhood, according to officials familiar with the transition.

<...>

"Sen. Clinton has great respect for the ambassador-designate and looks forward to working with her," said Kiki McLean, a spokeswoman for the senator.

Obama transition spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said: "Decisions about confirmation and agency review teams were made by the Obama-Biden transition. Given that the U.S. mission to the U.N. is supported by the State Department, it makes perfect sense that our nominee would have an office to use for preparations and meetings there as part of the transition process."

<...>

Also Monday, Clinton had plans to meet privately with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to a Democratic official. Kerry, once a contender for the secretary of state job, will oversee Clinton's confirmation. Kerry has pledged to hold "swift and fair" confirmation hearings.