Winner 2013 Webby Awards for Best Political Website
June 18, 2013

 Choose a size
Text Size

Trending:     chris hedges     economy     nsa     politics     robert scheer
Most Read

The Terror Con

The FBI May Have Finally Found Jimmy Hoffa

Say Hello to the 'Super Rich'

The Making of a Global Security State

This Will Not End Well

Most Comments
Most Emailed

 * NEW! * The Making of a Global Security State
 * NEW! * Climate Change Puts Lake Life at Risk
 * NEW! * The Terror Con



The Unwinding


Truthdig Bazaar
In Katrina’s Wake: Portraits of Loss From an Unnatural Disaster

In Katrina’s Wake: Portraits of Loss From an Unnatural Disaster

By Susan Zakin (Author), Bill McKibben (Author), Chris Jordan (Photographer)

Lords of the Land

Lords of the Land

By Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar
$ 19.77

more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Obama’s VP Curveball

Email this item Email    Print this item Print    Share this item... Share

Posted on Jun 10, 2008

Barack Obama’s vice presidential vetting committee has been meeting with lawmakers in Washington, so naturally a few names have started to filter out. Most were to be expected (Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Jim Webb and so on), but among them is someone you may not have heard of: retired Gen. James Jones, a veteran of the Vietnam War and former supreme allied commander of NATO. Of course it’s far too soon to place bets.

Obama himself has said that he will not talk about a vice presidential candidate until he has chosen one.


MSNBC / First Read:

From NBC’s Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro

So you think you know who’s on Obama’s veep short list? Well, think again. According to sources on the Hill, Obama veep vetters—specifically Jim Johnson and Eric Holder—have been asking Dem members of Congress this week their input about potential running mates. The conversations are free-flowing but one name the vetters are inserting in the conversations is one that is not a household name… Ret. Gen. James Jones, the former Marine-turned-NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

Jones, a Vietnam vet born in Kansas City, MO (swing state alert!), was a career military officer rising to one of the highest posts possible. Now retired, Jones has been critical of the number of troops currently in Afghanistan. He’s been appointed to independent posts by both the Democratic Congress and the Republican-run State Department.

Jones currently is the president and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, which is an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce, not exactly the type of organization a typical Democrat gets involved with. Potentially problematic is that he’s on Chevron’s board. He also serves on the boards of Boeing and Invacare, a manufacturer and distributor of medical equipment. (Invacare’s slogan, ironically, is: “Yes, you can.”)

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

By Andy, June 24, 2008 at 2:07 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Draft Clark for VP!

All the pros of Jones, none of the cons.

If Clark had run against Obama I would have had a hard time choosing who to vote for.

Team Obama: Have Hillary make the VP choice announcement for you… “I’m proud to announce the next Vice President of the United States, and my good friend, Ret. General Wesley Clark!”

Report this

By cyrena, June 10, 2008 at 2:01 pm Link to this comment

“...Potentially problematic is that he’s on Chevron’s board. He also serves on the boards of Boeing and Invacare, a manufacturer and distributor of medical equipment…”

Humm..I’d say MORE than ‘potentially’ problematic. Chevron, Boeing, and Invacare?

Sorry. In the balance, (the Nato and all of that part) it’s not worth the guaranteed blowback. That is particularly the case when there are too many other equally or more suitable folks to choose from.

Look at Biden some more. He can get to be a little bit out of the box from time to time…semi rash. But what the hell. He’s ready to do battle.

Or, look at Hagel if we wanna bring in more of the Repugs, without having to dirty things up with the typical among them. He’s an acceptable republican.

Or, look at the women that available and would do the work. (NOT Corportist Hillary).

Seems to me if we’re gonna really do a clean turn around here, anybody with even a ‘whiff’ of corporate perfume needs to stay out of the immediate vincinty of the executive branch. That’s just the way it goes. We the people can’t take it. I mean, he might be an OK dude, but we just can’t take any chances. Chevron? Boeing? Oh no!

Report this
amunaor's avatar

By amunaor, June 10, 2008 at 1:54 pm Link to this comment

I don’t think that we need any past, present or future representatives of the War Industry as a Barack VP, capable of going Cheny on him at any moment. No thanks!

Peace, Best Wishes and Hope

Report this

By Charlie, June 10, 2008 at 1:47 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Gen. Jones would be an interesting pick for VP.  He is widely respected, but is not well known generally.  He would give the ticket greater foreign policy/national security experience, which seems to be imporant in the VP discussion (which is likely why Webb, Hagel, Biden, Richardson, and Clark are often mentioned as possibilities).

Report this
Newsletter

sign up to get updates


 
 
 
 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2013 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.