Outgoing Sen. Bill Cohen (R-ME) was considered Pres. Clinton's "best hope" of a GOPer to the Cabinet (Campbell, PORTLAND PRESS HERALD, 12/6). ABC's Hume: "The President insisted Senator Cohen's credentials, not his party, were the reason he picked him" (12/5). NPR's Arnold: "Clinton's choice ... is both bold and calculated. Bold because Cohen is the first Republican the president has named to his Cabinet; and calculated, because as a conservative on national security issues, Cohen is likely to be well-received and confirmed. ... It is his ability as a consensus builder that made him an attractive choice" (12/5).
W. POST's Jim Hoagland: "Cohen is probably the sleeper in this -- the man who will be the big surprise. He is one of the most intelligent people in the Washington policy arena. ... You will see him as a dominant voice in foreign policy" ("Newshour," PBS, 12/25).
Univ./WI's Charles Jones: "I think it's of marginal value. I don't think of defense as being the center of partisanship, as far as the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. So I'm not sure that there's a problem there to be solved with that particular appointment." Jones pointed out Cohen's views are "to the left" of most Senate GOPers (Balz, W. POST, 12/6).
Clinton has chosen a "brainy, poetry writing" ME GOPer "whose steadfast support for the U.S. armed forces has been tempered over the last 20 years by a streak of independence" (Farrell, BOSTON GLOBE, 12/6). Cohen is a "soft-spoken maverick ... a man likely to bring a centrist agenda to the Pentagon. ... Cohen's record on defense, foreign affairs and intelligence has been decidedly middle-of-the-road." Cohen's "moderation often rankled conservatives" (Gertz, W. TIMES, 12/6).
DOWNSIDE: L.A. TIMES' Pine notes Cohen is "inexperienced at running a bureaucratic behemoth like the Pentagon (12/6).
DEM REAX: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): "It's good at this time to reach out across the aisle. We need bipartisanship in our foreign policy and in our national security issues" ("LKL," CNN, 12/5). Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA): "It speaks awfully well for the President that he is prepared to appoint to such a key position a Republican who has been critical of him. ... It reveals strength, it reveals a determination to get opinions that don't coincide with yours" ("Crossfire," CNN, 12/5). Retiring Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-CO) "said Cohen might have more problems with his former Republican colleagues than with congressional Democrats when it comes to administering the Defense budget (Farrell, BOSTON GLOBE, 12/6).
GOP REAX: Senate Maj. Leader Trent Lott called Cohen: "One of the smartest members of the Senate" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/6). Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): "Bill Cohen has the intellectual capacity and the knowledge and the background, in my view, to do a superb and outstanding job and I applaud the decision." McCain, asked why it was smart to pick a Republican: "It was smart in the respect that Bill Cohen has the respect of members on both sides of the aisle" (CNN, 12/5). Senate Armed Services John Warner chair (VA): "I'd rate this a ten. It's a courageous initiative" ("LKL," CNN, 12/5). Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), on how helpful a GOPer will be: "Bill Cohen is very concerned about the lack of communication with Congress that the Clinton administration had in the last four years, and I think he will remedy that" ("Crossfire," CNN, 12/25).
ABC's Hume: "It is very likely that Republicans in the Senate will be watching Senator Cohen, if he becomes Secretary Cohen, very carefully to see if this quite independent fellow will be any more of a team player in this [admin.] than he was with them on Capitol Hill" (12/5).
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