According to Politico, the presidential campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is vetting retired Admiral Jim Stavridis as a candidate for the secretary’s Vice Presidential running mate. Last week, Donald Trump (R-N.Y.) was the one considering a military pick for VP in the form of former General Mike Flynn.
Now it appears that Sec. Clinton and her team are looking to steal the spotlight. It’s not clear how serious the admiral’s candidacy is, but he is certainly qualified for the job.
Adm. Stavridis’s resume is impressive, to say the least.
His military credentials could put Republicans on the defensive when it comes to foreign policy. The retired four-star admiral currently serves as Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
It’s a nice title, but nothing compared to his previous ones:
- Battle Group Commander;
- Executive assistant to the Secretary of the Navy;
- NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and
- Senior military assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense, among others.
These rumors might serve to take some of the shine off of Trump’s VP candidate, who flubbed an interview last weekend.
In the interview, Gen. Flynn appeared to take a pro-choice position. Gen. Flynn walked back the comments on Monday, but it may already be too late. It seems unlikely that the Conservative Right, already suspicious of Trump, is going to let this supposed mistake slide.
Rumors that Gen. Flynn’s rough personality led to him leaving his role at the Pentagon only add to the contrast between the two candidates.
Per Politico’s report, most political insiders don’t expect the admiral to be a serious candidate for Vice President. Instead, the vetting seems mostly aimed at offering a contrast to Trump’s potential pick. Still, in an election season that has been anything but conventional, it seems unwise to rule out the chance of Adm. Stavridis getting the nod.
The presence of the esteemed Admiral on the ticket may force voters to focus on national security issues. Compared to the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Trump’s lack of military experience will be even more striking, and the thought of him in charge of the nuclear launch codes even more unsettling.
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