Fischer sees it as an important test for an officeholder whether he selects a strong team. "Schwache Amtsinhaber fürchten sich vor starken Partnern und deren Schatten, den sie werfen. Starke Persönlichkeiten hingegen umgeben sich mit starken Mitarbeitern", he writes. (Weak officeholders fear strong partners and the shadows they cast. Strong personalities, on the other hand, surround themselves with strong co-workers.) And he writes of Clinton:
An der Qualifikation Hillary Clintons für das Amt der Außenministerin bestehen keinerlei sachliche oder persönliche Zweifel. Ganz im Gegenteil würde es dem in den Jahren von George W. Bush demoralisierten und personell wie finanziell ausgezehrten State Departement äußerst guttun, wenn es über eine gleichermaßen außenpolitisch kompetente wie politisch einflussreiche Ministerin verfügen würde.(Generally when I'm translating something, I tend to favor a more literal rendering over one that reads nicely in English. That one is a good example.)
[Of the qualifications of Hillary Clinton for the office of foreign minister [Secretary of State] I have no personal or professional doubts. Just the opposite; it will do the State Department good, after the demoralizing and very lean years, in both personnel and staffing of George W. Bush, if there is someone serving as Secretary who is as competent in foreign affairs as she is politically influential.]
Fischer is confident that it can be a workable team, despite the bitter primary campaign. One big reason is that Obama and Clinton are largely in agreement on major foreign policy issues. And, in general, he thinks Obama's Cabinet is shaping up to be perhaps the strongest in American history. (Wow!) He also thinks that because of the amount of Obama's attention that the serious economic crisis will require, especially at first, that it's a benefit to have a strong and capable figure like Clinton at State.
Tags: barack obama, hillary clinton, joschka fischer
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