Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State?

Don't fall for this! It's a cheap ratings ploy that's as old as John McCain.

It's classic "will-they, won't-they." Think Sam and Diane. Ross and Rachel. Or Turner and Hooch. The Obama and Clinton campaigns elevated the tension between Barack and Hillary for months, until June, when Obama won his nomination and the feverish anticipation hit a peak. Will he put Hill on the ticket? All through this campaign it seemed like they hated each other, but maybe they were just too scared to admit that they really love each other('s positions on global diplomacy and health care reform).

Barack and Hillary played this nation like a fiddle. The Primary was earning record viewership and the campaigns knew they had to grab onto a gimmick if they were going to hang onto that audience. So, natch, they went with the "will they, won't they" plot, knowing all along it was gonna be nothing but "won't they."

And here we are again, in the wake of yet another historic election season for which viewership was through the roof. There's nowhere for ratings to go but over a cliff. Unless...

The campaign had no choice. If they wanted to get a ratings boost via a wedding or a new baby, they should have kept Bristol and Levi from leaving the show. It was either dangle the Barack-Hillary plot in front of viewers, or the Obamas would have had to adopt a hip, ne'er-do-well teen into the family to mix things up (again, Levi didn't renew his contract).

So enjoy this plotline while it lasts. We admit, we're a sucker for the will-they-won't-they plot. It's hard to find "Moonlighting" reruns on TV anymore and Barack and Hill make for a pretty good alternative. But we're not gonna complain when Hill turns down the post. We'll just look forward to early '09 when it's time to start filling Supreme Court robes.

Posted by: Bob Powers      I’m a fan of Bob Powers