Main focus of Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Obama's team

US President Elect Barack Obama has presented his cabinet. His decision to appoint Hillary Clinton as secretary of state is particularly controversial. The European press discusses what Europe awaits from the new team in Washington.

To Ethnos - Greece

To Ethnos newspaper writes that Obama has already disappointed the US public: "Not in their worst nightmares could the 60 million Americans who voted Obama in have imagined he would so blatantly ignore their desire for change. ... Obama has agreed to a compromise, and handed everything over to the representatives of the establishment. There is not a single progressive Democrat in his government! This is the first time that an American president has so sorely disappointed his voters even before taking office. The vision of change ... has been born dead. What we are left with is a showcase president who was voted in to improve America's public relations. Obama has a single goal: to polish up America's image in the world. This is what he's doing, but without political change." (03/12/2008)

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All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik

Dnevnik - Slovenia

In the opinion of the Slovenian daily Dnevnik Obama's decision to appoint Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state is an "expression of his great political courage and self-confidence, which sometimes borders on naivety. During his first year in office Obama will naturally be primarily concerned with solving the economic crisis. Having a person of authority at the head of the State Department is therefore a considerable advantage. ... Obama is obviously convinced that he has received sufficient assurance from Hillary Clinton that she will subordinate her own ambitions to his. But by selecting Clinton Obama has landed himself two secretaries of state because the package includes former president Bill Clinton. ... And then Obama has a third 'secretary of state' in Vice President Joe Biden, whom he has promised an influential role in the government. ... This may be a good thing, but it may be a recipe for disaster if Obama fails to tame the egos in his foreign policy team." (03/12/2008)

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All available articles from » Andrej Brstovšek

De Volkskrant - Netherlands

Even if at first glance Obama seems to be focusing on continuity, it is too early to say that nothing will come of the change he promised, writes De Volkskrant newspaper: "In view of the many attacks on his supposed lack of experience it is not surprising that Obama is playing it safe in naming his cabinet. Furthermore, running for office is not the same as governing. Here continuity almost always wins out over change. America's global interests will not change immediately after Obama takes office, but the way the president pursues them will. Obama confirmed this when, on presenting his foreign policy team, he stressed that while he wanted to maintain America's military strength, he also intended to give more weight to diplomacy and international cooperation. More soft power and less hard power. That change is more than welcome." (03/12/2008)

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Kaleva - Finland

The daily Kalevala welcomes Obama's decision to appoint Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. "Obama had the courage to give a key post to his final tough competitor within the Democratic Party in the race for the presidential office - a candidate who eight years ago lived in the White House as the wife of the president at that time. ... This and earlier decisions made by Obama are testimony to his extraordinary self-confidence and courage to also take risks. He has deliberately put together a cabinet that is made up of people who combine two qualities: clear talent and clear independence. ... This indicates a strong and resolute style of political leadership. But we must not forget that Obama's government has not yet spent a single day in office. It is therefore impossible to know what the reality will be. ...Since 1996 the US has appointed three women as secretary of state - Madeleine Albright, [Condoleezza] Rice and [now] Clinton. Women in this office have become the rule rather than the exception. This has considerably enhanced the role of women in global politics." (03/12/2008)

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Irish Independent - Ireland

The Irish Independent comments on Hillary Clinton's nomination as Secretary of State: "Marriages of convenience often prove successful. There is no doubting Mrs Clinton's fitness for the job. The appointment tells, not of weakness but of the width of Mr Obama's net and the toughness of his mind. He must have some reservations still. His reconciliation with the Clinton family has always looked fragile. Bill Clinton came out to campaign for him at a very late stage in the Presidential election campaign. Now the President-elect has insisted on receiving a list of donors to the former President's library and charitable foundation. The possibility of embarrassment is all too obvious. But clearly he has decided that giving Mrs Clinton a position of such weight and prestige is worth the risk. It will strengthen his administration and make him look magnanimous." (03/12/2008)

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