Madeleine’s Memo
Yesterday Madeleine Albright addressed San Francisco’s World Affairs Council as part of a tour to promote her book, “Memo to the Next President.” A portion of her comments can be heard here:
Often these set piece discussions are noteworthy for the topics the speaker chooses to avoid, and here the former Secretary of State chose not to mention any of the candidates. Albright is, nonetheless, a prominent advisor of Hillary Clinton, and cheered her on quite publicly at the Iowa caucuses. But at this stage in the Democratic campaign, a no-holds-barred struggle between Clinton and Obama, any prominent supporter’s comment may be scrutinized, and Secretary Albright clearly thinks the best way, for now, to sell her candidate in public is to stick to selling her own book. Not a bad strategy.
Yet the subtitle of “Memo…” — “How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership” — gives it a polemical edge and hints at Albright’s desire to play a role in the Clinton restoration. The former Secretary of State remains articulate and savvy, and has insightful and often amusing anecdotes (e.g., her travel to Pyongyang and encounter with Kim Jong-il).
Perhaps her wisest comment last evening, however, related to the qualities needed in the next President. She was glad, she said, that the presidential campaign is a long as it is “because it will demonstrate a variety of characteristics and capabilities” of the candidates through a “winnowing process.” She was looking for a realism and idealism in a President. An Administration, she said, was like a “hot air balloon,” in need of helium to rise and ballast to move forward.
As we wait for the results of the Democrats’ South Carolina primary, and anticipate a knock-down, drag-out path to Super Tuesday, it may be that the Democrats increasingly see their choice as being between two candidates — one who provides lift and another who promises direction.
January 28th, 2008 at 11:34 am
[…] Over at the Election 2008 blog, Mark Dillen discusses Madeleine Albright’s book “Memo to the Next President Elecy: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership.” His post also contains a good sound bite from Albright in which she clarifies a common misunderstanding about diplomatic efforts: “Diplomacy is not appeasement. You can deliver tough messages as well as nice messages, but there has to be a dialogue.” […]