CONFIDENTIAL
THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION
Carter.
President Clinton has chosen his team (Annex A). He had an upset with his first choice for Attorney-General (Zoe Baird, who had to withdraw following revelations that she deliberately broke the law in employing an illegal immigrant couple). But all his other Cabinet nominees have now been confirmed; apart from Bruce Babbitt (Interior) and Ron Brown (Commerce) who should both be cleared soon.
Clinton's choices present few surprises. Several are young or inexperienced in their designated policy area. But Clinton was expected to lead a baby boomer' administration. In fact the average age is 51 (the same as the Carter cabinet, 4 years older than Kennedy's) and all have experience in public life, either in government, academia or the professions. The intellectual calibre of the nominees is high and several have impressive educational records relevant to their designated jobs.
NAD's paper last October on "A Clinton Administration" looked at probable candidates for the administration and concluded that it was unlikely to cause major problems for the UK. The judgements in that paper remain valid. This paper looks at the possible course of policy development in the new administration.
The President
Clinton is perhaps one of the least ideological American presidents since Eisenhower. Before taking office, he gave little hint of his main policy directions, saying only that his priorities are the economy and healthcare.
In his foreign policy statements he has stressed continuity with Bush. He has appointed advisers who will not get ahead of him in policy formation. He has chosen experienced administrators for key international areas - national security and foreign relations - compared with a body of fresh thinkers for domestic departments; the lesser-known figures chosen largely for their proven abilities to make things happen and for their personal commitment to Clinton's social ideals. He has attempted to keep at a distance the neo-liberals and the protectionist left.
This mix suggests that he will be a hands-on president, taking as wide a range of advice as he can and forging policy decisions himself. It is a style he developed with some success in Arkansas. But the magnitude of the task is of a different order and he may overestimate his ability to dominate all aspects of the administration. He is a notoriously slow decision-maker and will immediately face a number of difficult issues. His close personal involvement in the nominations has already pushed back the timetable. He has yet to nominate half the 200 appointees he promised by Inauguration Day. He will not be able to give the same attention to all 700 key posts.
CONFIDENTIAL
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