Foreign Policy Advisory Index

Foreign Policy Advisory Index
by The National Interest
http://www.nationalinterest.org/PrinterFriendly.aspx?id=16438

12.27.2007

As the presidential contest heats up, The National Interest online tracks top links and new info on the leading candidates’ foreign-policy inner circles. A regular feature of our campaign 2008 coverage, the index will be updated with the latest scuttlebutt, analysis and party lines as the story unfolds.

The latest as of 12/28/07:
Nikolas Gvosdev offers his commentary on the criticisms of candidates' foreign policy advisors.

The Clinton camp has released a list of foreign policy supporters.

THE LINEUP

The New York Observer’s "The Iraq-eteers" from April 15, 2007 is an early discussion and comparison of advisors.

The Washington Post’s "War Over the Wonks" from October 2, 2007 lists the national security and foreign policy advisors to both parties’ leading candidates. It’s the most comprehensive list so far, but changes are made almost daily. In an October 3 piece, an author of the Post’s list, William Arkin, dissects the choices and puts them into two camps: "those providing legitimacy and those seeking legitimacy." That day, in "Proxies’ War", Matthew Yglesias at The Atlantic offered partisan commentary on the Post’s wonk list. And on October 4, Daniel Drezner predicted who on the Post’s list would take the two major FP roles if their candidate won.

In "Foreign Policy Advisors’ Role in the Campaign" on NPR’s All Things Considered (12/9/07), Martha Wexler discussed the role foreign policy advisors play in portraying positions in the campaign.

A December 23, 2007 Op-Ed in The New York Times by Frank Rich, A Résumé Can’t Buy You Love, looks at the experience and foreign policy advisors of Clinton and Obama, with mentions of McCain and Huckabee. Rich lists Susan Rice and Anthony Lake as two key former members of the Clinton Administration now advising Obama and Madeleine Albright and Generals Wesley Clark and Jack Keane as part of Hillary Clinton’s team.



WHO’S WHO and WHAT’S WHAT



Hillary Clinton

The Buzz
In "Patriots Who Love the Troops to Death" on August 5, Frank Rich criticized Clinton advisor Michael O’Hanlon for his July 30 Op-Ed "A War We Just Might Win". An August 12 piece by Glenn Greenwald on Salon.com, "The Truth Behind the Pollack-O’Hanlon trip to Iraq", called the same Op-Ed "a fraud" and featured excerpts from a recent interview with O’Hanlon.

Officially Speaking
General Wesley Clark stands by Clinton in this campaign ad.

Clinton made a campaign appearance on December 20 with Gen. Wes Clark, Richard Holbrooke, Togo West and Gen. Robert Gard.

The Clinton camp released a list of foreign policy supporters on December 26, 2007. Over 200 names are listed.

Bios
Richard Holbrooke
Lee Feinstein
Madeline Albright
Samuel R. Berger




Barack Obama

The Buzz
On May 10, 2007, the Chicago Sun-Times highlighted Obama’s most influential advisors, including a "cadre of former Clinton officials . . . who for now want to stay below the radar screen" and a few names the Post left out: Jeh Charles Johnson, Mark Lippert and Gregory Craig. And in "Who Has Their Ear? " on September 3, The Huffington Post compared Clinton’s and Obama’s foreign policy choices, commenting on who has influence over the candidates and what they’re saying. The Wall Street Journal offered a further comparison on September 5 with "Obama Tones Foreign-Policy Muscle". "Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny?", from NYT Magazine on November 4, continues the discussion of the Obama and Clinton inner circles and explains match-ups. The article details how Obama met Anthony Lake and what his foreign policy might be.

Officially Speaking
The Obama camp released a list on December 19 of "over 70 foreign policy experts" that endorse Obama. This release includes many not on the Post’s list and many members of the former Clinton Administration, continuing a squabble between the camps over the composition of foreign policy teams. MSNBC also reported on the Clinton and Obama foreign policy teams, after Barack Obama claimed on December 21 that 47 former Clinton Administration members are currently advising Obama at a "senior level."

Bios
Anthony Lake
Samantha Power She penned a memo on Obama’s foreign policy on August 3.
Susan E. Rice
Gregory B. Craig




John Edwards

The Edwards camp released bios of the senator’s military advisors on May 23, 2007.

Bios
Derek Chollet
Michael Signer




Rudolph Giuliani

The Buzz
"The Iraq-eteers" in The New York Observer on April 15, 2007 notes that Giuliani consults with retired Gen. Jack Keane and John Bolton for advice. On August 28, 2007, a short Harper’s Magazine blurb announced that "Pipes Joins Up With Giuliani" and compared him to Podhoretz. In "Mideast Hawks Help to Develop Giuliani Policy" on October 25, The New York Times critiqued Giuliani’s choices and listed Daniel Pipes as an advisor. But in an October 30 New York Sun article ("Meet Giuliani’s New Brain on Foreign Policy"), Giuliani’s chief foreign policy advisor, Charles Hill, expressed his frustration with the 10/25 Times piece, saying Daniel Pipes isn’t an official advisor. Harper’s Magazine discussed the campaign’s efforts to distance itself from Pipes in October 30’s "More on Giuliani’s Advisors."

The Hill’s October 19 adverse reaction to Giuliani’s foreign policy advisor choices, "Giuliani Hoards Nuts", targeted Norman Podhoretz, Daniel Pipes, Thomas Joscelyn and Michael Rubin. And in the January 14, 2008 issue of The American Conservative, "Declaring Forever War" argues Giuliani has surrounded himself with advisors who think the Bush Doctrine didn’t go nearly far enough.

An October 29 article in The New York Observer, "I, Podhoretz: Mr. World War 4 Tutors Giuliani", discusses Norman Podhoretz’s role in the Giuliani campaign. A December Washington Monthly piece, "Norman’s Conquest", takes a closer look at Podhoretz’s influence on Giuliani.

Officially Speaking
Giuliani’s first announcement of his foreign policy team (with bios) came out on July 9, 2007: Charles Hill (Chief Foreign Policy Advisor), Norman Podhoretz, Bob Kasten, Stephen Rosen, Martin Kramer, S. Enders Wimbush, Peter Berkowitz, Kim R. Holmes. He announced and provided bios for additional foreign policy advisors on October 11, 2007: Ruth Wedgewood, Robert Natter, John Agresto, Owen West, Michael Rubin, Kori Schake, David Frum, Thomas Joscelyn.

Bios
Charles Hill
Kim Holmes
Peter Berkowitz
Robert Kasten
Martin Kramer
Norman Podhoretz




John McCain

The Buzz
McCain holds close counsel with some big names, according to the August 18 New York Times article "McCain Mines Elite of G.O.P. for 2008 Team": Colin Powell, Richard Armitage, Brent Scowcroft, William Kristol and Robert Kagan.

Officially Speaking
On April 10, 2007, former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, General Alexander Haig, Lawrence Eagleburger and George Shultz officially endorsed McCain. Two weeks later on April 23, McCain released a list of his national security and energy advisors, including James Schlesinger, Bud McFarlane and R. James Woolsey. The senator’s camp announced his economic advisors on July 12; many aren’t on the Post list, even though they advise on international economic policy.

John McCain and Henry Kissinger campaigned together in Boston on December 19, CBS News.com reported.

Bios
Robert Kagan
Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft
R. James Woolsey
Richard Lee Armitage




Mitt Romney

Officially Speaking
On February 28, 2007, Romney officially released the names of his Latin American policy advisors. An April 15 The New York Observer piece, "The Iraq-eteers", mentions Romney is advised by former Sen. Jim Talent, who had not been previously recognized as an advisor. The make-up of Romney’s counterterrorism and intelligence policy advisory groups debuted on September 13—Cofer Black chairs the former and Pete Hoekstra heads up the latter—and Romney announced James "Spider" Marks as a senior advisor for national security affairs on October 16. His trade policy advisors were named on October 3 1, and members of the former governor’s homeland security policy advisory group were officially announced on November 14—many of these names are new additions to the Post’s list.

Bios
J. Cofer Black
Mitchell B. Reiss




Mike Huckabee

We haven’t seen much official information released about Huckabee’s foreign policy team, but there have been whispers. On December 12, 2007, NYT Magazine noted that Huckabee has "a policy staff of three", that the former governor lists Thomas Friedman and Frank Gaffney as his foreign policy influences, and that he asks Richard Haass for advice. Huckabee also says Duncan Hunter is "extraordinarily well qualified to be Secretary of Defense."

Wolf Blitzer asked the candidate about his foreign policy advisors on Late Edition on December 16 (see this YouTube clip or the full transcript). Huckabee said he "talks" to Richard Haass, Frank Gaffney and other military officials he can’t name because they’re on active duty.

In "Huckabee’s Foreign-Policy: More Reagan than Bush" on December 16, 2007, The Baltimore Sun reported Huckabee hired Reagan’s old campaign manager, Ed Rollins—Maybe his future foreign policy advisors will be of a similar mold.

On The Hugh Hewiit Show on December 19 Frank Gaffney elaborated on the nature of his advisory role, commenting specifically on Huckabee’s stance on Iran.

J. French Hill, Huckabee’s finance chair, helped write the candidate’s Foreign Affairs article and was cited in an LA Times article on December 23, "Republicans opt for new world view", as Huckabee’s central foreign policy advisor. Janis Cherry is officially listed as the former governor’s director of policy.

But things remain up in the air. The Weekly Standard pointed out on December 24 in "The Perils of Huckaplomacy" that an answer the former governor gave about Iraq demonstrates his foreign policy shortcomings.



Ron Paul

The official news provided so far is that Joe Becker is the candidate’s policy director. Barry Goldwater, Jr. endorsed Ron Paul on November 16, 2007. The Ron Paul camp has also released a full list of endorsements.