Warren Christopher

In the first two years of his administration, U. S. President Bill Clinton has particularly come under attack in the area of foreign policy. Criticism from both the Democratic Party and the Republicans ended up centering on the figure of Secretary of State Warren Christopher. One way or the other he has been blamed for all that seemed wrong with Clinton's foreign policy: its weakness, its inconstancy, its lack of credibility. The respected Los Angeles lawyer who had recently gained so much credibility thanks to the report bearing his name and which led to the removal of L.A.P.D. Chief Daryl Gates was seen, with his tentative speaking style and congenital reserve, as a symbol of the tentativeness of U.S. leadership in the world. And there were some serious rumors, going around Washington in the summer of 1994, that Christopher would not have lasted in his position until the end of the year (Robbins, 1994, p. Al). But after having been on a kind of probation for much of 1994, the Secretary of State has finally received an official endorsement from the White House. On January 12, 1995 new presidential press secretary Michael McCurry announced that after reviewing the foreign policy successes of the previous two years "'the President indicated to Secretary Christopher he had a lot of confidence in him and wanted him to stay on the job indefinitely.'" (Williams, 1995, p. A10). And, soon after, Christopher found himself being courted by an originally doubtful, if not openly c

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a Washington lobbyist. dutton, the most liberal editor of the Law Review, as chief of staff for California Governor Edmund (Pat) Brown, introduced Christopher into the inner circle of the Administration. At the same time, the Law Review was strongly committed to minority rights. Christopher also worked as a clerk for William 0. Douglas, the legendary civil libertarian on the Supreme Court. Douglas was very impressed with him and years later recommended him to Pat Brown for a seat on the California Supreme Court. Christopher was 39 by then and, feeling unprepared for the position, declined the offer (Scheer, 1993, p. 22). After completing his clerkship, Christopher returned to Los Angeles and became an associate for O'Melveny & Meyers, the city's most prestigious law firm. An associate to this conservative and primarily Republican establishment at the early age of 33, he became acting executive secretary to Pat Brown, advising the new Democratic governor on judicial appointments an overall strategy. He also wrote speeches for Brown and created the slogan "responsible liberalism." On the whole, though, Christopher's primary legal work has been concentrated not so much on liberal causes but rather on defending the interests o

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