Sam Nunn

Steve Clemons isn't buying former Senator Sam Nunn's efforts to tiptoe away from the anti-gay record of his time in the U.S. Senate. To me, the interesting thing is that he's bothering at all. I'd heard Nunn's name tossed around for a potential appointment in an Obama administration, but I'd seen that as mostly idle talk -- Nunn seems to me to have reached that semi-retired eminence grise phase in his career where he co-chairs panels of various sorts and gets mentioned sometimes as an example of The Kind of Statesman We Don't Have Any More.

Efforts to reposition his profile on gay rights, though, seems to indicate that he really would like to get a job. But I'm not even sure what kind of job that would be. He seems like one of several people (Chuck Hagel also comes to mind) who would be a good choice for a position as some kind of high-level nuclear proliferation stopping guy. Something like that, with a narrow-but-important portfolio would be a good post for a conservative Democrat or a moderate Republican who was smart on the relevant issues, the kind of thing that would be all about putting disagreements on various other issues aside to focus in on this one grave problem.

Comments

Sounds like he's angling for SecDef to me.

Posted by NCProsecutor | June 5, 2008 10:19 AM

What if he isn't looking for a job, but for work?
Maybe his views about proper policy have changed or their importance to him is just less than the good work in more important areas he could do in an Obama administration. Obama's people certainly seem savy enough to have been pointing out to him that they'd have a much easier time working with him if they don't have to defend his anti-gay record to their base. That is, if he hadn' figured that out on his own.

Posted by markus | June 5, 2008 10:27 AM

Sam Nunn? I guess Sally Quinn & Co. have given up on Zombie Scoop Jackson.

Posted by calling all toasters | June 5, 2008 10:28 AM

As an aside, if Nunn is willing to explicitly state that his prior views on gay people were wrong, I think that would be quite valuable.

Anyway, I agree it would make a great deal of sense to have Nunn work on anti-proliferation, which from all indications will be a very important part of Obama's foreign policy agenda.

Posted by DTM | June 5, 2008 10:31 AM

calling all toasters:
Bingo!! The only ones floating Sam Nunn's name are the David Broders of the world.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | June 5, 2008 10:36 AM

To clarify: the elder stateman objection My raises only applies to cabinet positions and similar.
Depending on his diplomatic skills (which I don't know about) Nunn might be the perfect candidate to e.g. be sent to the Iranians to talk about non-proliferation.
For that, apostasy is not necessary, quietly backing away from his former anti-gay stances will do.

Posted by markus | June 5, 2008 10:37 AM

if Nunn is willing to explicitly state that his prior views on gay people were wrong, I think that would be quite valuable.

Yeah, I don't know about putting him on the short list SecDef, but if ever gets the point where he can say he was wrong or even just gays should now be allowed to openly service, that's praise worthy.

Posted by Christopher Colaninno | June 5, 2008 10:47 AM

I think this whole 'Team of Rivals' idea that is sweeping the nation is a bunch of horsecrap. If the analogy holds then the 'Team of Rivals' is pitted against an opposition that SECEDES FROM THE UNION.

I hate modern Republicanism and find the consequences of them being anywhere near power to be disastrous but I don't equate the modern GOP with a secessionist movement. They are a waning political movement.

Lincoln was bringing together Whigs, Know-Nothings, Free Soilers in a 'Team of Rivals' strategy to unify against the confederacy. It's not unlike the coalition that was forged in Iraq to make Maliki the PM. Lump everybody in one pot that isn't a blood enemy and hope for the best. That's not quite the situation that Obama finds himself in should he be President in 2009.

Posted by joejoejoe | June 5, 2008 10:55 AM

I think this whole 'Team of Rivals' idea that is sweeping the nation is a bunch of horsecrap. If the analogy holds then the 'Team of Rivals' is pitted against an opposition that SECEDES FROM THE UNION.

Okay--then we can have an "Administration of All Talents" which can wage war on Napoleon, abolish slavery, and break up over Catholic emancipation instead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_All_the_Talents

Posted by rea | June 5, 2008 11:39 AM

Supposedly, Jimmy Carter recommended Nunn for VP in an interview somewhere.

Posted by Th | June 5, 2008 12:26 PM

Mark this - Obama with pick one of the three:
1. Webb
2. Richardson
3. McCasskill

Nunn is overrated, Nunnaronians abound only in the punditocracy.

McCain (if he was smart) will pick Jindal - But I hope he picks Romney or Crist.

Posted by Comment | June 5, 2008 12:32 PM

Obama will reject both a "Team of Rivals" and "The Best & The Brightest."

Instead - he'll opt for a Suger & Spice Dreamteam

Posted by Comment | June 5, 2008 12:38 PM

Obama will reject both a "Team of Rivals" and "The Best & The Brightest."

Instead - he'll opt for a Suger & Spice Dreamteam

Posted by Comment | June 5, 2008 12:41 PM

He would have to be a prime candidate for SecDef. How many well known Dems are there who are considered strong on defense? OTOH, Obama might look to a Repub to show bipartisanship. Gates is head and shoulders above anyone else in Bush's cabinet -- he could be kept on.

I have problems with the idea that a person's past statements regarding gays (or regarding lots of subjects) should be held against them. People in general are much more enlightened than they were 10+ years ago.

It's very hard to make progress when it's held against people. We should be encouraging this kind of growth, not hammering people for flip-flops.

Posted by DMoore | June 5, 2008 12:43 PM

Obama will reject both a "Team of Rivals" and "The Best & The Brightest."

Instead - he'll opt for a Suger & Spice Dreamteam

Posted by Comment | June 5, 2008 12:44 PM

DMoore:

It's not just Nunn's past *statements* about gay Americans -- it's the fact that he led the opposition to gays in the military during the first days of the Clinton administration. Oh, and he fired two staffers for being gay.

For a high profile position like SecDef, we need someone better. If he's not on the ticket, Wes Clark?

Posted by NCProsecutor | June 5, 2008 2:06 PM

Or Max Cleland?

Posted by NCProsecutor | June 5, 2008 2:08 PM

Sam Nunn, homophobe extraordinaire, is a dispictable piece of dog shit, and would sour any department of the Obama administration. He didn't just attack Gays and Lesbians in the military, he led a coup which discredited Bill Clinton even as he was being sworn in as President. He deserves our continued rejection as unfit to serve in the company of free Democrats. In short, fuck that short, bald son-of-a-bitch with the bad comb over, 12 to 15 thousand times.

Posted by Houston Bridges | June 5, 2008 4:47 PM

Sam Nunn, homophobe extraordinaire, is a dispictable piece of dog shit, and would sour any department of the Obama administration. He didn't just attack Gays and Lesbians in the military, he led a coup which discredited Bill Clinton even as he was being sworn in as President. He deserves our continued rejection as unfit to serve in the company of free Democrats. In short, fuck that short, bald son-of-a-bitch with the bad comb over, 12 to 15 thousand times.

Posted by Houston Bridges | June 5, 2008 4:49 PM

Sam Nunn, homophobe extraordinaire, is a dispictable piece of dog shit, and would sour any department of the Obama administration. He didn't just attack Gays and Lesbians in the military, he led a coup which discredited Bill Clinton even as he was being sworn in as President. He deserves our continued rejection as unfit to serve in the company of free Democrats. In short, fuck that short, bald son-of-a-bitch with the bad comb over, 12 to 15 thousand times.

Posted by Houston Bridges | June 5, 2008 4:49 PM

Sam Nunn, homophobe extraordinaire, is a dispictable piece of dog shit, and would sour any department of the Obama administration. He didn't just attack Gays and Lesbians in the military, he led a coup which discredited Bill Clinton even as he was being sworn in as President. He deserves our continued rejection as unfit to serve in the company of free Democrats. In short, fuck that short, bald son-of-a-bitch with the bad comb over, 12 to 15 thousand times.

Posted by Houston Bridges | June 5, 2008 4:49 PM

Sam Nunn, homophobe extraordinaire, is a dispictable piece of dog shit, and would sour any department of the Obama administration. He didn't just attack Gays and Lesbians in the military, he led a coup which discredited Bill Clinton even as he was being sworn in as President. He deserves our continued rejection as unfit to serve in the company of free Democrats. In short, fuck that short, bald son-of-a-bitch with the bad comb over, 12 to 15 thousand times.

Posted by Houston Bridges | June 5, 2008 4:51 PM

Sorry about that. I blame your Comments delivery system and not me. My screen showed the comment posting to be hung up and non-responsive.

Posted by Houston Bridges | June 5, 2008 4:54 PM

Nunn of the above.

Posted by AdamK | June 6, 2008 10:43 AM