Monday, July 13, 2009

Vetting Process Frustrates Clinton

You know what’s ironic is that so many of Obama’s appointments have had tax issues.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton showed a rare flash of frustration Monday — calling the vetting process for Obama administration nominees “ridiculous” and “a nightmare.”

At a question-and-answer session with staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development, a woman asked her when the agency would be getting a new administrator and “why it’s taking so long.”

“Let me say it’s not for lack of trying,” Clinton replied. “The process — the clearance and vetting process — is a nightmare,” she told the staff. “It takes far longer than any of us would want to see. It is frustrating beyond words.”

(5) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2250 hrs
Politics + Politics - General

  1. I’m sure she’s right on some level.  A lot of that is generated by the Obama administration itself.  A lot of it is probably in a response to a press corps that’s sometimes too eager to play gotcha.  The 24-hour news cycle often makes mountains of molehills simply for lack of anything better to talk about.

    I mean, without excusing anyone who’s had these problems, I’m willing to bet that you, me, and nearly everyone else reading this blog has screwed something up on his/her taxes, or had an accountant miss something at least once.  There are likely countless Americans who privately hire individuals to do house cleaning from time to time but never file for an EIN and never withhold taxes on behalf of their employee, even though they’re legally required to.  So are a lot of folks who regularly hire an adult to babysit.

    But judging how the press and politicians respond, you’d think that these things were the gravest mistakes ever.  As long as there isn’t a pattern of deliberate evasion and the individual rectifies the error, I could care less.

    Posted by Recess Supervisor on July 14, 2009 at 0139 hrs


  2. I know. Damn that ‘checks and balances’ system of ours. Damn it.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 14, 2009 at 0253 hrs


  3. How is that ironic?

    And Joseph, she’s not suggesting the process shouldn’t be there, just that it is becoming increasingly difficult.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 14, 2009 at 0738 hrs


  4. Sounds like it was intended to be double edged… getting a dig into the President’s skin for his nominee’s problems.  wink

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 14, 2009 at 1008 hrs


  5. There are likely countless Americans who privately hire individuals to do house cleaning from time to time but never file for an EIN and never withhold taxes on behalf of their employee, even though they’re legally required to. So are a lot of folks who regularly hire an adult to babysit.

    Posted by Condominiums Mississauga on July 15, 2009 at 0909 hrs


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