Former Clinton administration officials supporting Obama.

I thought this was pretty darn interesting.  Of all the candidates they could be supporting (with much more 'experience', no less), they pick Barry...kinda makes you go hmmmm...

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/...

Obama’s Boldface Donors
By Jeff Zeleny

(excerpt)
The roster included two of the event’s hosts: William Kennard and Reed Hundt, both of whom were appointed to the Federal Communications Commission, by President Bill Clinton. And Julius Genachowski¸ a counsel to both men (who just happened to be a classmate of Mr. Obama’s at Harvard Law School).

Also attending were: Miriam Shapiro, Susan Riceand Bonnie Cohen, all State Department officials under former President Clinton.

While they weren’t at tonight’s event, the list of Clinton alumni-turned-Obama supporters includes: Richard Clark, the former national security adviser; Charlene Barshefsky, the former U.S. Trade Representative; Anthony Lake, former national security adviser and William Daley, former Commerce Secretary and Chicago native.

There is another boldface name to add to the Obama list: Greg Craig, a Washington super-lawyer who represented President Clinton during his impeachment proceedings. Last week, he held an event of his own for Mr. Obama.

•  Everyone who meets him--

  and gets to know him is impressed.  I've read tons of stories in the Chgo papers relating to people won over by him.  

  by dotster on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:47:57 PM PDT

  •  You are right,

    it is funny, he doesn't say much, but there is something about him that draws people in. I don't think it is only his initial opposition to the Iraq war, although that is enough for some. Another thing about him, is the way he doesn't fully back down when he makes what is considered a political gaffe. He offers sort of an apology to those who may have been offended, but yet he still stands by the meat of his remarks. I like that, I hate these elected officials who bow to the political pressure and retract their remarks and over apologize. I would love to see him in a small town hall type meeting where people could actually ask him his positions and he could answer, instead of seeing him in situations where he gives prewritten speeches. Perhaps that is what you mean when you say everyone who meets him and gets to know him is impressed. I think we are all sick of politics as usual, we are looking for something different, someone who can speak to the real issues, not just the ones that seem politically expedient.

    by Vera Lofaro on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 11:55:03 PM PDT

•  I don't see what's so interesting

  They worked for Bill Clinton, not Hillary Clinton. Think about how many people Clinton has appointed over the 8 years in WH, it's not unreasonable for some to support other candidates. And as you mentioned, Genachowski when to school with Obama.

  by PhillyGuy03 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:48:04 PM PDT

  •  You can bet that Bill is working folks

    from his administration to stay on the ranch, so to speak.

    by Geekesque on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:49:03 PM PDT

    •  Of course and he should be considering

      what he has done to Hillary over the years.

      by PhillyGuy03 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:57:51 PM PDT

      •  True dat. eom

        by Geekesque on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:00:25 PM PDT

  •  True.

    I'm not surprised either.

    The thing, though, is that the Clintons are running a very heavy-handed campaign behind the scenes when it comes to ex-Clinton appointees and Democratic consultants. They're trying to put as many consultants on retainer as possible, so that other Dems (Obama, Edwards, Richardson, etc.) can't hire them. They're trying to dry up the money well to make it more difficult for others to raise money.

    Really, this is not Obama v. Clinton, but "everybody else in the Dem field" v. Clinton.

    by Newsie8200 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:59:39 PM PDT

  •  Hum...

    On the other hand, these were folks who were attracted to Clinton. If they were attracted to Clinton, they are are attracted to charisma. Now, who is the candidate with a ton of charisma out there? Doesn't end in Clinton this time, quite the contrary.

    It makes sence that Clinton devotees who flock to Obama. I mean, after all, why did so many of us and the people stick with the guy? Charisma. The fact that he was a hound dog came out during the primaries, but he won anyway.

    by PLS on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:17:23 PM PDT

•  Those are some heavyweight names--Clark

  and Lake in particular.

  They know someone who with good judgment when they see one.  They served under such a person.

  by Geekesque on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:48:12 PM PDT

  •  Clark and Lake

    would not be supporting Obama if they thought he lacked imagination or sound judgment in foreign policy matters.

    And notice that they're not backing Hillary, who's revealed her views on Iraq are no different from Bush's and the PNAC pygmies.'

    by LanceBoyle on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:11:32 PM PDT

•  I don't want to live through the Republicans ...

  letting loose on HC again, knowing for the moment they are glad to hold back with her until after the primaries.

  I saw already 5 to 8 years of that, too much of that; so did the country.  Can't go through that again with her. It's a turnoff. Distasteful.

  Let the GOP let loose this time on another Democrat who comes up on top — I'll be ready for.

  by joan reports on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:51:56 PM PDT

  •  ... ready for that . (I meant to end with 'that')

    I'll be eady for the GOP noise and attack machine to turn its sights on any other Democratic candidate when that person emerges on top. (That's what I meant.)

    by joan reports on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:54:45 PM PDT

    •  The GOP is holding back on Hillary

      because they WANT her to be the nominee, and then it will be the same old BS all over again.    They think we're stupid enough not to realize that.

      by chicago minx on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:43:54 PM PDT

  •  They so want Hillary as the Democratic nominee,

    and are doing everything in the power to help her get the nomination. I agree with you that for now they are holding their fire, hoping, even praying she is the one, if she is, it is going to be hell, and I beleive the Democrats can kiss the Presidency goodbye. What was done to Kerry,(the swift boating) will look like childs play, and it will divide the nation even more than it is right now.

    by Vera Lofaro on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 12:01:26 AM PDT

•  Clark's the interesting/important one there. I'd

  bet he carries a good deal of weight with Dems.

  by tigercourse on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:54:07 PM PDT

  •  I think it is more than that.

    Clark has the credentials on fighting terrorism. If the Repuks try to play Obama weak on terrorism, he will have Clark in his corner. I think with Obamas, so called lack of experience,( which I beleive people say rather than saying, he is black)people must beleive he will choose the best and the brightest in all fields, Clark is a good choice and a trusted choice on the terrorism front, I think his support for any candidate is very important today.

    by Vera Lofaro on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 12:06:01 AM PDT

•  Wow this is damned interesting

  Was Greg Cgraig the wheelchair boung lawyer who defended BC in the Senate?
  I love the guy. So eloquent, so knowlegabale and had mastered history and the law.
  I even still remember him talking about his dad  "landing on the beaches of Omaha during WW11?"..
  CAnt say why that sentence stuck to my head all these yrs.

  Where can I get the recordings of that trial? The trail that acquited BC! The best Gowdamned Prez of my lifetime>

  by wuod kwatch on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:58:03 PM PDT

  •  No,

    Greg Craig was the really good looking Lawyer who defended Bill Clinton.

    by Vera Lofaro on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 12:06:57 AM PDT

•  Richard Clarke?

  Either it's a different person, or they got the spelling wrong. If it's the Richard Clarke, that's a pretty big coup, IMO.

  by PsiFighter37 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 07:59:10 PM PDT

  •  If it's the right guy

    that's impressive.

    by Urizen on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:37:26 PM PDT

•  By the way, Clarke was never the National

  Security Advisor.

  by tigercourse on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:01:45 PM PDT

  •  That must have been an error, however,

    he was an advisor on U.S. National Security Council under Bill Clinton and GWB.

    by LV Pol Girl on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:27:19 PM PDT

•  What's the big deal on endorsements?

  Why are they endorsing so early?

  by CAL11 voter on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:18:08 PM PDT

  •  Because

    this race is on steriods, that's why. These guys must see that, and they want to do what they can. This is the wierdest election season ever. I think the masses have awakened, and just as we better informed masses did in '03, they are looking for a savior. 58% of the people just wish Bush was gone, but they know he will be there another two years! They need hope now, and are looking ahead, looking for the replacement that can set things straight. We picked Dean, and he was a perfect fit. We needed a fighter, and a straight talker. And boy did we get it. Now it looks like the masses in general are looking for a uniter. I am not sure they really understand all of what is going on, but they have spotted the ground rushing up to meet them too. And as the masses, they know the right thing to do. Find a leader the herd can all follow, and your chances of surviving are much greater. The worse the threat, the greater the need for "unity". Interestingly enough, the most frequent qoute about Barack from common joes, black, white, and whatever, is this; "He is all of us".

    If he doesn't stumble, he is "it".

    by PLS on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:36:51 PM PDT

    •  I'm waiting to hear about Gore, but I...

      have my mind open about the other candidates and potential candidates.  At the appropriate time, I'll chose a candidate.  But, honestly, I don't think endorsements will influence me much.  Just additional information to me.

      by CAL11 voter on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:46:45 PM PDT

  •  because

    the primary schedule moved up- the nomination will be wrapped up on 2/5 (that's only 10 1/2 months).

    by aztecraingod on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:32:53 PM PDT

  •  CA Just Jumped Up to Feb--Plus Media Lost in Nov.

    Media need to get their proper party back in power, plus they need campaign spending, so they want to start a year early.

    Plus plus, early primaries now,.

    by Gooserock on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 12:20:15 AM PDT

•  Don't forget Frank Sanchez

  He carried this fresher perspective with him to the Clinton administration, where he advised the President on economic integration and helping Latin America democratize. Recognizing Sanchez's dedication and ability, Clinton appointed him Assistant Secretary of Transportation. After the Clinton administration, Sanchez knew his work was not done; it was time to return to a life-long dream and run for public office. "I believed I had a lot to offer my community, and that running for office was what I was supposed to do."

  Frank is part of the O-Train in Tampa, Florida ....

  give 'em hell Frank!

  by bobnbob on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:22:15 PM PDT

•  Some recent polling out

  showing Obama making strong gains. I thought of doing a diary, but it seemed redundant. One is a Harris interactive, but it has trend lines that are stongly in Obama's favor. Another was a Time Mag poll. Obama made strong gains in that poll too. Interestingly, he is ahead of Hillary with Indies in both polls now.

  He is looking more and more like the real thing.

  by PLS on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:23:30 PM PDT

•  Any word on Eliot Spitzer ?

  Last I heard the Clinton camp was steaming mad that he has yet to endorse Hillary.

  by LV Pol Girl on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 08:56:57 PM PDT

•  Does he go by Barry?

  I've never heard that.  Huh.

  Interesting info.   Any confirmation that it is "that" Richard Clarke (with e)?

  I need to grab some popcorn - it's going to be an interesting year and change until the convention.

  by Dem in the heart of Texas on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:16:35 PM PDT

  •  I Think That Was High School nt

    by Gooserock on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 12:20:51 AM PDT

•  One of Obama's most prominent backers

  ... is Abner Mikva who served as counsel to Clinton.

  by Bob Johnson on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:30:28 PM PDT

  •  Mikva's from Chicago

    but he's discerning enough that it's not just a hometown endorsement.  That is quite a coup for Obama.

    by chicago minx on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:39:40 PM PDT

  •  Ab Mikva has unique perspectives--he served

    in high level functions in all three branches of government.  

    He guest lectured once for a class of mine in law school.

    by Geekesque on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 05:25:14 AM PDT

•  I recall reading somewhere

  that Sam Nunn and Samantha Powers (genocide expert at Kennedy Center and fierce critic of Bill Clinton's response to Rwanda) are also advising Obama. Has anyone else come across this?

  by orchid314 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 09:36:25 PM PDT

  •  Yea! I read the same thing too

    I love Sam Nunn

    by Lady Bird Johnson on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 10:08:54 PM PDT

  •  latest issue of Washington Monthly online

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/...

    As she watched the 2004 presidential election returns come in, Power found herself sunk in “despondency” over the prospect of another four years of the same. Almost as disheartening as Bush’s win was the fact that the Kerry campaign had shied away from forthrightly challenging him on the fundamentals of his “war on terror.” For Power, as for so many, the one spark of hope was Barack Obama, whose ringing keynote speech had electrified the Democratic convention. Power was so impressed that she downloaded the speech onto her iPod. “I said, ‘God, what does one do now?’ ” Power recalls. “I guess it’s one of three things. One can just accept that all this will continue, one can run for office, or one can become Barack Obama’s foreign policy adviser.” A friend knew Obama’s college roommate. “So I got a short e-mail in early ’05: ‘Barack likes your book and would like to meet with you.’”

    Their first meeting, several months later at a D.C. steakhouse, did not begin auspiciously. “His body language was not good,” says Power. “He had no desire to be there at all. It was, ‘Who the fuck is this person, this lily-livered Harvard softy, and tell me why I am meeting with her again?’” Still, Obama warmed up—it was supposed to be a forty-five-minute chat, but they ended up talking for three hours. “We sat down, and we started dinner. I was on my best behavior: I didn’t, like, order my trademark Jack Daniels. And then we just started talking. It was vintage Obama: question after question after question, starting with, ‘Who are you? I don’t get it. Bosnia? Whaaa? That’s weird.’ It ended up being a very personal discussion, oddly enough, but everything led to policy. That’s the way he comes to policy: What’s your story, and why do you tick the way you do? ... He’s what everybody says he is.” Before long, Power says, she had “drunk the Kool-Aid” on Obama. “At the end of the dinner, we’re walking out, and I said, ‘I’d love to help you in any way I can.’ He said, ‘That’d be great, maybe we could do some big think on a smart, tough, and humane foreign policy.’ I heard myself saying, ‘Why don’t I take a year off?’”

    by jg82567 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 10:25:02 PM PDT

    •  article also talks about Anthony Lake's

      impressions...worth the read...

      by jg82567 on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 10:28:33 PM PDT

    •  Power seems to like him, but the interaction

      described here makes Obama sound like a weirdo.

      by tigercourse on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 10:48:23 PM PDT

      •  He Could've Just Been Busy or Had

        any number of distractions on his mind.

        Having been that weirdo myself....

        by Gooserock on Fri Mar 16, 2007 at 12:18:09 AM PDT

    •  thank you for this.

      by chicago minx on Thu Mar 15, 2007 at 11:50:39 PM PDT