James Rubin

“It will take years, decades to retrieve the respect that we once had before these people took office,” said James Rubin, director of foreign policy for the Clinton/Gore campaign in 1996, while moderating a discussion earlier this week about “Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power” with author Marcus Mabry, a senior editor at Newsweek who will soon become editor of the New York Times’ international business coverage.

“All this power has lead this country to the lowest point in the United States history, in terms of respect that [Condoleeza Rice] was part of,” Rubin said.

Rubin darted from his seat after the discussion, briefly shaking hands with two out of the 200 or so audience members at the downtown Housing Works Bookstore, before stepping outside to light up a cigar.

During the event, Rubin had said that the Bush administration revised its “ABC”–Anything But Clinton–policy on North Korea.

Would the 2008 Democratic candidates be presenting an Anything But Bush foreign policy in the upcoming election?  read more »

This James Rubin -- not to be confused with the other one -- is the son of Clinton administration Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who is still close to the Clintons.

The younger Rubin explained himself.

"I have gotten to know him a little bit and he is hugely impressive and clearly he is going to be an important person in the political world for decades," he said.

Obama had been courting Rubin as far back as January, when they dined together at a Washington steakhouse.

On Wednesday night at a steakhouse in Washington, Obama met with Rubin and a number of supporters including Michael Froman of Citigroup, Brian Mathis of Provident Group, Orin Kramer of Boston Provident Partners LP (who committed to Obama shortly afterwards) and Robert Wolf, the chairman of UBS Americas.

Rubin is the son of Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. For obvious reasons, he would be a nice get for the Obama campaign -- both a prominent name and a positive statement about Obama's generational appeal rolled into one.

Rubin's allegiance is still uncertain -- he did not return phone calls to his home and office -- but according to a supporter with knowledge of the meeting, he seemed inclined to commit to Obama.