What Makes For a Great Secretary of State?

Here's what you need to be a great Secretary of State: a massive ego. You need to believe that you and you alone can sit down with Hamas and Abbas and get them to agree on a peace accord with Israel. You need to believe you are so special that you can get the Ayatollah of Iran to quit his nuclear program. You need to believe that only you can get the strongman Putin to lay off the notion of missiles on Russia's border with Poland.

Would Hillary Clinton have the potential to be a great Secretary of State? Absolutely. If there is a single figure in the American political establishment who thinks as much of themselves as Hillary thinks of herself, show that person to me. Does John Kerry have Hillary's ego? Does Bill Richardson? I mean this as a compliment to Hillary. She's earned her scars, as John McCain didn't say.

The question becomes, does Senator Hillary Clinton want to be Madame Secretary? I hope so. Hillary is 61. She's the junior Senator from New York. She will not determine whether health care makes it through Congress; Tom Daschle, Max Baucus and Ted Kennedy will go a long way toward making universal health care a reality. She will not be the senior Senator from New York as long as Chuck Schumer can stand in front of a camera. She heads no committees.

At a time when the world is yearning to see America return to the forefront of global leadership, Secretary Clinton can lead the charge. She already may be a historic figure, embraced by the world community, but in this role, she would significant international achievements to her legend.

If I were Senator Clinton, I would run to this opportunity, not because the job has been offered, and not because my career in the Senate may not result in a leadership role until 2020. No, I would jump at it because Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person to be Secretary of State.

Comments

[standard]

Matt,

By the standard you've chosen we could have no finer Secretary of State than Donald Trump, John McEnroe, Bill O'Reilly, or Ralph Nader. What drivel!

Having a huge ego has nothing whatever to do with being prepared to run among the most sensitive and far-flung of government departments, having a superior command of geopolitics, or having the credentials and experience to conduct effective diplomatic relations on behalf of the world's last remaining superpower. Nothing whatever.

As the arguments that Mrs. Clinton is somehow "the most qualified person to be Secretary of State" grow increasingly strained and ludicrous, it becomes increasingly obvious that she's nothing of the sort, and that many of her supporters are simply groupies in search of a plausible rationale--any plausible rationale--to justify their hero worship.

Dr. Brzezinksi, Sec'y. Albright, Sen. Mitchell or, especially, Gov. Richardson are far more qualified to become Secretary of State. Apart from each having substantial relevant experience Mrs. Clinton lacks, each exhibits self-confidence without the slightest apparent self-absorption--in stark contrast to Mrs. Clinton.

[Keith52]

But Hillary also has something else, the admiration of foreign leaders. I've said this before but I was astonished to hear this from the overwhelming majority of people as I traveled abroad last year. So it's not just ego. I would seriously doubt Donald Trump would command as much respect as the Clintons.

[standard]

It's easy enough to assert that someone has "the admiration of foreign leaders" but there is no formal way to prove or disprove that assertion. There is no effective way to poll a group as vague and amorphous as "foreign leaders" and there is no objective scale by which to measure their differing levels of "admiration".

What Mrs. Clinton does NOT have is a record of meaningful personal experience in diplomatic affairs or in an actual executive office.

Even if Donald Trump would not command as much respect as "the Clintons" (whom you lump together for no apparent reason), since when is the amount of respect Mrs. Clinton and her husband command, collectively, relevant to the question of how qualified Mrs. Clinton is to be a cabinet secreatary? I respect Joe Paterno, but I surely don't want someone as right wing and inexperienced in international affairs as he is running our state department.

[theone718]

Tom Daschle, Max Baucus and Ted Kennedy. I just realized that incorporates the House, the Senate AND the White House. The push for healthcare is no joke, this is going to get very interesting.

[DoTheMath]

Oops. When I saw the headline for this article, I was interested in making sure I really understood the range of qualities and skills required for Secretary of State. I assumed the position required diplomacy, including tact and persuasion, effective leadership for the State Department, cooperation with the President, the ability to understand and remember a great deal of information about foreign countries and their interactions with the US and each other, and excellent people skills, including the ability to show respect appropriately to people of other cultures. However, I realize that I'm no expert, so I was eager to be enlightened. Imagine my surprise when I found that all you need to be a great Secretary of State is a "massive ego." In that case, how about Sarah Palin or Joe the Plumber?

[LoRiseAntlers]

I thought it was a desire to be able to legally default on her campaign debt.

[ElBruce]

Yep. I agree.

All the drama llamas who are complaining about the vetting procedure having potential hiccups are... well, being drama llamas.

All the hyper-sub-partisans who hate her because she almost beat Obama or for some past transgression against their delicate sensibilities are... well, being hyper-sub-partisan.

And everyone else who thinks she's not appropriate for the post for this or that reason (I keep hearing "she can't be diplomatic") forget how many times she's reinvented herself. One thing she's proven is that she can be anything she needs to be.

[Henry]

I have thought for some time that the Palestian land and refugee and freedom issue is the biggest issue for the world to resolve. Jimmy Carter made great strides. Bill Clinton also made great strides but no noble. George is either clueless, malevolent, or incompetent. What will Hillary and the Obama administration provide? The world wants to know. Justice was a word used oft times by devious George that double-talking practitioner of Texas chicanery which only adds insult to the American people, many of whom are Jewish. There needs to be a solution... and if it takes 140,000 U.S. troops to enforce then so be it. But it must also be just, a just compromise from which there is no deviance. If Hill is the girl, we'll soon know if she is worthy of the high marks she seems to get. It will be no picknick for her.