Sunday, November 23, 2008
The New York Times article "Clinton-Obama Detente:From Top Rival to Top Aide" focuses on President-elect Obama's pending decision to select Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state. The lead of the article is both a summary and a scene-setter; it tells the reader that the article is going to discuss the relationship between Obama and Clinton, but it also describes a specific instance in which Clinton gave a passionate speech supporting Obama.
Although the article shares interesting facts about past presidents and their secretaries of state and has an easy-to-read narrative style, the piece lacks hard evidence. One fact is attributed to the "people on both sides," referring to people who supposedly listened in on a conversation between Obama and Clinton on an airplane.
In addition to vague references, the article doesn't really get to the heart of the issue surrounding the Obama-Clinton relationship: their disagreements over foreign policy. In my opinion, American citizens are more interested in learning about how the pair plan to handle foreign policy as opposed to the nice things they have said about one another.
An outline for this story might look something like this:
1. Highlight past conflicts between Obama and Clinton
2. Talk about steps that they have taken to resolve those conflicts
3. Discuss why Obama plans to elect Clinton as secretary of state
4. Talk about their personal and professional relationship
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