When Clinton arrived Wednesday afternoon, he briefly worked the crowd, then headed to his borrowed beachfront house. After a morning jog he skipped Thursday’s main seminar on “The First Year of the Clinton Administration,” perhaps to prep for his own headline presentation scheduled on the last night, “What I’ve Learned This Year.” Very much in evidence: families with teenagers to entertain Chelsea. Notably absent: alumni David Gergen and Strobe Talbott, who now have top administration jobs.
Clinton hopes the appointment of Talbott, his old Oxford buddy, to the No. 2 post at State will bring “vigor” and “youth” to the department, as Warren Christopher put it last week. But State insiders worry that Talbott is a poor choice. Traditionally deputies have concentrated on management, but friends say that Talbott, former Washington bureau chief of Time, wasn’t known for his managerial skills there. Further, State staffers fret that Talbott will be stretched thin: in addition to his new responsibilities as deputy, he’s keeping his job as chief Russia hand.
