Clintonian diplomacy without Hillary?

Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:24am

While the U.S. has no official star presence at the Davos World Economic Forum this week, it certainly has an unofficial star there. Bill Clinton spoke there yesterday, ribbing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin about his free-market credentials from the stage and later meeting him for private discussions behind closed doors.

Bill Clinton's tête-à-tête with Putin follows the announcement by the Russian government that Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet in advance of the April G-20 Summit, when Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will have their own face-to-face. One assumes (or, at least hopes) that Bill Clinton got some marching orders from his wife before sitting down with Putin at this rather delicate moment for U.S.-Russian relations.

Megan Carpentier | Permalink | | Comments? Login or register
( filed under: )


Advertisement

 

Damn i wish bill could be

by anne on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:40am

Damn i wish bill could be pres again. minus the bj's.

What are bjs?

by NYCgirl on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:41am

Anne,

I always enjoy your comments, but what are bj's?

lol. snow jobs with a bl

by anne on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 11:45am

lol. snow jobs with a bl instead of an sn.

Ha, ha! I hear you .. :-)

by NYCgirl on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 12:11pm

Ha, ha! I hear you .. :-)

Let's squeeze the "B" out of "Billary," please Bill

by Carolyn-Rodham on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 12:54pm

Bill needs to be careful...The last thing Hillary needs is for people to begin saying, "See? We knew she couldn't control him." We need to squeeze out the "B" and introduce the "H" back into "Billary."

I don't think it would be a

by rickya on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 1:42pm

I don't think it would be a problem. Bill Clinton is free to speak his mind on any topic. He is brilliant and worth listening to. There would only be a problem if he represents himself as speaking for the government, which he will never do.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a

by Carolyn-Rodham on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 1:53pm

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Bill's, and would have supported him for a third and fourth term despite his personal shenanigans. But I think it is unwise for him to have a very public tete-a-tete with Putin before Hillary has had a chance to have a parley with Putin in her new official capacity. He's got to learn to live in the shadows -- hers, specifically -- for awhile at least.

I don't think it is unwise at

by rickya on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 6:12pm

I don't think it is unwise at all. He can have relationships with other heads of state without any conflict. He just has to make clear that he is not speaking for the US government.

@Anne

by Still4Hill on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 1:48pm

I wish Hillary could be president - for once. I think Bill has always wished that too.

I second that

by NYCgirl on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 2:37pm

Still4Hill,

I second that. I agree that Bill wanted to see her win so badly it hurt him literally. Remember him at the convention in the audience mouthing "I love you" when she was speaking? He was heartbroken and furious that she was PUSHED OUT BY HER OWN PARTY!

For all we know

by PYW on Fri, 01/30/2009 - 5:18pm

Obama's administration may have okayed Bill's remarks about Putin in advance.

2 for 1

by lila on Sat, 01/31/2009 - 2:11pm

I think Bill is one of MANY reasons Obama asked Hillary to be SOS. Bill's personal relationships with world leaders are unmatched. Many other high profile people have met with world leaders, conducted diplomacy, etc. but Bill gets invited to birthday parties. He is uniquely postitioned to help carry out BHO/HRC's agenda. Paradoxically, his international visits are big news yet he can fly under the radar as an emissary. That's a huge asset for Hillary and you can bet they're all working together.

Are you saying she got picked

by anne on Sun, 02/01/2009 - 9:40pm

Are you saying she got picked because of her husband? Wow. I guess the little lady just can't get a job on her own merits.