"You don't have to hold public office to be a public servant," President Barack Obama said in his address here to the opening session of the Clinton Global Initative. If what his predecessor Bill Clinton says is any indication, it's better if you're not.
Clinton noted that as a former community organizer, Obama was himself an NGO veteran. Additionally, his wife Hillary spent much of the time he was in politics woring in a non-gvenerntal capacity. Noting how they're roles had changed, Clinton mused, " I think I got the long end of the stick."
Without disparaging its goals or methods, CGI does at times seems to embody a decidedly undemocratic ethos, the idea that wealthy donors and political VIPs, unencumbered by the legislative process can achieve the most good for the most people. As Clinton argued, enough heads of states and business leaders (including the CEOs of Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart who spoke at the session) share his views on the urgency of climate change leglistaion, "It's to to convince congresses and parliaments that we're on the right track."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who also spoke, argued for the virtues of the G-20 over the G-8, not becamse it is more representative, but because compared to the U.N. security council, it is far more efficient. "As the CEOs here could tell you, if there were 192 people on your board of directors, you wouldn't get very much done."
There wasn't much news in Obama's speech, it was a courtesy call that that he decided to make after finding himself "vulnerable to the charms" of the former president. Obama described the need for a "new spirit of global partnership" like that embodied by CGI. What is less discussed is that this type of global partnership oftens happens outside the traditional systems of governmance and depends on the good faith and wisdom of non-elected elites.
Given what Obama has been facing on the hill lately (an ordeal Clinton certainly identifies with) that probably sounds pretty good to him these days.
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