HRC for SOS

Might we have just witnessed the dawning of a new era of politics in America in the last 24 hours? I will admit that I was taken aback by speculation that President-elect Barack Obama was considering none other than his former rival-in-chief, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, for arguably the most important post in his upcoming administration, Secretary of State. The two candidates debated endlessly during the primary season on the finer points of their proposed foreign policy initiatives, and their disagreements on diplomacy made for some of the most potent points of contrast between the candidates.

President-elect Obama has made no secret of his affection for Doris Kearns Goodwin's marvelous book "Team of Rivals," which chronicles how President Lincoln invited his vanquished political opponents into his administration in order to negotiate centrist, consensus solutions to the dire problems facing our nation during her darkest hour. If President Obama does indeed select Senator Clinton as his Secretary of State, he will be invoking Lincoln's legacy in a profound way; and in the opinion of this Congressman, there could be no wiser choice for the post.

During his first year in office, President Obama will likely need to keep a laser's focus on domestic issues as we try to climb out of the economic hole dug under eight years of President Bush's financial policies. Therefore, it is absolutely vital to select someone with the experience, toughness, and depth of knowledge to handle increased authority in foreign policy and deliver on President Obama's promise to the world; and who could be more qualified to manage the duties of the nation's top diplomat than the internationally revered junior Senator from New York? She brings two decades worth of foreign policy experience, much of it on the front lines as First Lady during one of the most peaceful eras in U.S. history. Furthermore, she brings instant prestige and credibility to the position; no foreign leader would ever feel diminished sitting in the presence of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

I have had the privilege to know the Clintons since their days in neighboring Arkansas, and I know of no one more intelligent and capable of tackling the enormous challenges we face abroad than Hillary Rodham Clinton. During the Bush Administration, the country watched with horror the consequences of rewarding campaign benefactors with important positions within the executive branch (see: Brown, Michael), and President-elect Obama's selection of Senator Clinton would signify a remarkable step in the right (and opposite) direction by rewarding accomplishment, intelligence and talent rather than patronage.

I was an ardent supporter of Barack Obama during the heated primary season - in part because I agreed with his positions on the War in Iraq and on more aggressive diplomacy - but I whole-heartedly believe that Senator Clinton would make an exceptional Secretary of State. Senator Clinton's vast knowledge, experience representing our country and her finely honed skills of negotiation would serve this country well, and her presence within an Obama Administration would have an immediate, positive impact.

Comments

[ElBruce]

Well, she wouldn't be my first choice for SoS, but I could get behind it. And I do like the idea of rounding up all of his primary opponents and putting 'em in the Cabinet. He's already got Biden, and I hear he's been talking to Richardson as well as Hillary.

The thing is, America's international reputation is guaranteed to improve massively in the next four to eight years, merely because of Obama's presence. SoS is the perfect place to be if you want to make yourself look good. I think she should take it.

[Clever Screen Name]

I'll take a flyer on this one... wouldn't be my choice, but I don't know what he knows. It might be the most brilliant move yet: pays back whatever political debt he has to her (and if she says no, still paid back),Team of Rivals optics as well as substance, she's certainly formidable and is respected the world over, gets her out of the Senate where she might (loudly) oppose him on this or that and keeps her under his thumb... she surely knows all this, but the whole thing is presented in such a fashion, including some good leaking, that it would be hard for her to turn down, not in the least because it's a pretty good upward career move. But the crucial question: can she follow his agenda? Will she be effective? They seemed pretty philosophically opposed during the primaries. But maybe this is what Obama knows that we don't -- that all that hot and heavy back-and-forth was mostly for show, merely political theater.

I knew this guy could be good. He's starting to look like a genius.

[DaveC19]

This would be a disaster. She would go rogue. You can't trust the Clintons. They are DLC neocons.

[annis]

She wouldn't go rogue out there in foreign affairs. It wouldn't be my choice either - I live in NY & I don't see any impact either positive or negative particularly from her being Senator.
She has been an operator. But she isn't stupid anyway. I don't think being "in the White House" gave her personal experience but it did give her exposure to international relations. No one is this administration coming up will be "going it alone - Obama has his mind and his hand & his stamp on everything and his aims have been clear.

[XME]

This is my fear too, but Obama is a very smart man, and he knows the potential "problems" of having a Clinton on board. If he does pick her, I have to believe he's considered everything and is keep an eye on things.

[Kate4Change]

I used to think that but during the general election, Clinton campaigned for Barack harder than anyone and much to my suprise, she did not go rogue... quite the opposite, she got Bill Clinton on board to campaign as well. She could have done a few campaign stops and demonstrated to the democrats she did her part and showed support. Hillary gave 60 campaign stops, campaigned so hard she nearly lost her voice.

Hillary is a tough, smart, intelligent politician and would be a brilliant choice. When you see video/pictures of Obama and Hillary together, their body language suggest they have a lot of respect for and genuinely like each other.

Barack has said before that Hillary made him a better candidate because she pushed him, maybe he believes she would also make him a better President. I agree with both.

[BARRISTER]

Come on Dave, she wasnt rogue during the campaign when she worked hard to elect Pres. Obama. She is disciplined.
Great choice. My only concern is by taking Dems out of Congress we will face election fights to replace them with no certainty of retaing those seats. Otherwise, pure genius.

[ObamaSheeple]

Dave I think you are wrong. Obama said he was going to unite the country. I am beginning to think he may actually try to fulfill that promise. It may not always work, but at least he seems to be genuinely trying.

I now confess I may have been wrong myself about him choosing that weasel Emmanuel for Chief of Staff. You need a rat to guard access to the POTUS. He is a good choice after further review (like in football). Likewise Hillary and Bill would serve him well in the State Department.

While I won't follow him like a messiah, I think he is proving me wrong more than I thought he would. I hope he continues to prove me wrong. The Republic needs a very good, if not great, leader right now. I hope he is it.

[bjobotts]

Have you read Naomi Klein's new article at the Nation online.. It points to the genius taking advantage of the situation. Genius is as Genius does...at least in this case.

[Bliss149]

I'm surprised that you're that big a fan of Hillary, Cohen. To me, I've just never seen that much there other than being Bill's wife.

But you're someone whose opinion I respect...as well as my congressman-in-law. (Memphis is my husband's hometown. We used to live around the corner from you on on Hawthorne.)

[CalliDem]

Humm ..well. "Bills wife" recieved more than 18 million votes and just handed every single swing state to BO. He would not be POTUS without Hillary and he knows it.

[TstormVA]

I don't want to relive the primaries but excuse me but he did beat her. She ran a HORRIBLE campaign and many of Hillary folks had come over to Barack side. I don't want to downgrade what Hillary did because she did give 100% but YOU have to give credit to President Elect Obama for running a political campaign that will re-write the history books.

[LaFilleEnRose]

"by rewarding accomplishment, intelligence and talent rather than patronage."
That says it all!

[Dustee]

This is all still speculation.

[PKSSK]

Bill Richardson or John Kerry are far more experienced. Bill Richardon would be wonderful message to send to Latino's in the US, which represents the diversity and acceptance of America and would go along way in repairing the American image in the world.

[ElBruce]

I've got a feeling there's a plum job in the works for Richardson as well. There's more than just SoS on the table, you know.

[ladyv]

I can't think of what Richardson would do except SoS, though. He's already been UN Ambassador and SoE, and his area of expertise is diplomacy. So where does he go except SoS?

[standard]

"I have had the privilege to know the Clintons since their days in neighboring Arkansas, and I know of no one more intelligent and capable of tackling the enormous challenges we face abroad than Hillary Rodham Clinton."

What that tells me, Congressman, is that you need to get out more. There are university faculties of International Affairs or Political Science entirely populated by folks more intelligent and more capable than Mrs. Clinton, if not more intelligent and more capable than she purports to be. Harvard, Georgetown and Columbia would be good starting places for finding them. Your own alma mater, Vanderbilt, probably houses several, as well.

[JWLANDSCAPES]

The same could be said of Obama....what the hell is your point? I'm absolutely sure your observation is correct that the universities are full of faculty with IQ's off the charts, who have written great papers and books on Political Science, whose theories play out beautifully on paper. Now how many actually have held office? Now how many have actual real time experience dealing with foreign leaders, acting in the capacity of a U.S government official?

[standard]

My point is that having tea, as a First Lady, with foreign dignitaries qualifies no one be Secretary of State; that doing so is in no meaningful way "experience dealing with foreign leaders" or "acting in the capacity of a U.S government official"; that there are several thousand people better-qualified to head our State Department than Mrs. Clinton is; and that she's no more intelligent--yet far less experienced, in relevant ways--than they are.

Barack Obama is not under consideration to be Secretary of State: his task is to select a Secretary of State. Just as a person of advanced years or confined to a wheelchair can recruit and manage a football team on which he or she cannot personally play, so Sen. Obama's credentials to be Secretary of State, himself, aren't in issue here. In this context, they're just a red herring.

[Glenn1441]

I am certain President-Elect Obama is properly chastised, having read the majority of 'doubting Thomas' comments posted here.

I am all for voicing one's opinion -- an informed opinion that is.

That Obama and Co. may have a larger strategy in hand -- or may have more information at their disposal than we -- well, that's just not possible, given we elected a rube to the most powerful leadership position in the world.

I am all for second-guessing public servants. But then again, I am all for placing my trust in faith in a candidate I worked so hard to elect. I am certainly no fan of Hillary (or any politician for that matter).

And yet, the comments here are in large part astonishing and disappointing.

[Aroura]

Here here!
Leave off it people. Let him make his descisions, he may know a few things you don't.

[Ozarks]

He can always fire her if she goes too far out in left field. Then that would be the end of the Clinton legacy, whatever is left of it.

[journey80]

Left field is not where she goes, Ozarks. That's a myth.

Hillary talks the "liberal" talk when it is expedient, but she works for the corporate establishment - always has; she and Bill and the DLC ARE the corporate establishment in the Democratic party.

The DLC is the voice of Wall Street, Monsanto, etc. - the powerful corporate right-of-center agendas.

[dgscol]

Hillary would probably want health care for the whole world! Could we afford it? We cannot even afford to insure the world!

I like a classical choice. Richardson is not that, either. I would not like to see John Kerry expand his tomato empire, so who is there? Is Brzezinski available? Perhaps he could help O man make a selection.

[KJsanfran]

Brzezinski? The architect of the entire Afghanistan mess?

Health care for the whole world? WTF?

[ElBruce]

How is the Secretary of State position going to give health care to the world? Think about what you're saying, man.

[lilpeg]

I actually think she would be more effective as someone in charge of domestic policies, health care in particular. While she would be a stunning diplomat, I think she would be better used in the home trenches. Bill Richardson has more of a guy-to-set-down-and-talk-to demeanor, he'd be one tough,but subtle when necessary, negotiator.

[FACINGREALIT]

That would be the most appropriate area, however Kennedy and a couple of other Senators with seniority have claimed healthcare and Hillary is a junior senator. She will not be able to assist with healthcare but by remaining in the senate could cause a delay.

After more deliberation the move of SOS could be considered brillant in that it silences your staunches critics and puts them under your thumb. It also utilizes their greatest asset because the Clintons are loved the world over and already have familiarity with the world leaders. This is not a time for introductions but actions. It frees up Obama to deal with the domestic affairs and have someone trustworthy abroad. Bill will be silence in his potential rogueness because he will not want to harm Hillary any further than he has already. You eliminate a potential 2012 run as well. The only potential problem will be vetting Bill Clinton. If Hillary chooses not to take the position it also frees Obama from any backlash of not offering her the VP slot or a cabinet fill.

[thedirtman]

A good choice, yes, but easily not the best. In light of their credentials Hillary Clinton is the best possible choice for Health and Human Services, and Bill Richardson is the best possible choice for SOS.

[lanrameau]

It's a horrible idea. She has no foreign policy experience and voted for the Iraq war. Obama must have promised it to her so she would quit the campaign. We're off to a bad start.

[autish]

That she supported the war shows that she doesn't like opposing the orthodoxy herself - a bad thing in a President, but not so bad in a SoS. As long as Obama has the spine and sets the agenda, she would be an amazing advocate.

[lanrameau]

So I guess no matter how sleazy and wrong Obama's opponents are, he'll give them what they want--ie. Lieberman. Does anyone remember her playing the race card over and over? "...hard working white families..."? Geez. I wonder what he has in mind for McCain. Secretary of Defense? How about Palin? Secretary of the Interior? Who is the real Barack Obama?

[Glenn1441]

Hillary Clinton has more than enough foreign policy experience -- as First Lady, and as NY State Senator. Moreover, she is very close friends with Joe Biden, who undoubtedly will oversea much of foreign affairs. They can work very well together in an Obama administration.

And as 'autish' below so rightly states: It is up to Obama to set the agenda - and he has given every proof that he will.

It is interesting to me that while offering our opinions (a truly wonderful thing, this free society), many here at HuffPost seem to second guess Obama in a way that suggests he is simply a rube.

That it doesn't seem to occur to those who criticize that perhaps this man may know something we do not. He has worked with Senator Clinton. He has debated Senator Clinton. They are insiders and as such, understand things in a way that we cannot.

I'm am more than willing to give Obama four years to demonstrate -- or not -- his leadership abilities.

[johninbigd]

Not only did she vote for the Iraq War, she is rabidly pro-Israel, which is a bad thing if you want our SOS to be in a position to negotiate peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Her idea of peace is Israel getting whatever it wants. We need someone a little more reasonable.

[trubluelefty]

I read her memoir and have a difficult time thinking she will ever try to see anything from a Palestinian view point. I lived in a refugee camp for one of the most terrifying and informative years of my life. However I have lived a very international life and in much of the world the Clinton's are held in very high regard so I imagine it would go over quite well and appear even more so that America is on the right track.

[yappnmutt]

please make sense. you said barack invokes lincoln and implied that this is a good reason to pick hillary for sos. barack may invoke lincoln but that is not related to hillary being an excellent choice for sos.

as for hillary's qualifications as having foreign policy experience because of her first lady experience is not much more of an argument than sarah palin's argument that she was qualified as vice president because she can see russia from alaska. at least hillary has been out of the country but first lady responsibility hardly counts as foreign service experience. as for negotiating acumen, the healthcare debacle says she has no clue how to bring disparate groups with disparate ideas and interests together in compromise and consensus.

i think barack is practicing the old adage,"keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

[johnfoirdfw]

I think that she would make an excellent choice. She has the admiration and respect of many world leaders and millions around the world. After the fiasco of the last eight years, this might be a very auspicous time to mend some fences..

[HansB]

What world leaders? What millions? To the extent she's known for her foreign policy views, it's for the fact that she's well to the right of her own party: interventionist, knee-jerk pro-Israel, bludgeon the Muslims into submission (that works so well), keep the Cuba embargo (that works so well). The one single policy domain Clinton should not get power over, is foreign policy. It was the one single reason why she was a bad candidate: her foreign policy instincts are in the wrong place. All of them. I can't believe Obama would do this. I can't believe that "the change we need" is another four years of the same. I'm so disappointed I could cry. No change on Middle East policy. No change on global warming. Maybe a little correction here and there on the margins, but nothing substantial. A disaster.

[Glenn1441]

Lincoln virtually filled his cabinet with individuals who either once opposed him, ran against him, or, were known to strongly disagree with him. His administration was one of the most successful in this country's history, all the more so given the dire circumstances of the era (not unlike our own).

Neither Senator Clinton or Pres. Elect view one another as enemies -- a notion borne out as fact since the DNC in Denver. Both understand the need to consolidate power within the Democratic Party. They are pros.

[Aroura]

Agreed 100%. I really believe he knows what he is doing here. Good clarification for the others too.

[JWLANDSCAPES]

I agree, Lincoln's approach of gathering a team of rivals, may not be the right approach here. Hillary was an exceptional First Lady in the mold of Eleanor Roosevelt and were you to actually study Hillary's 8 year itinerary and daily activities, I think it her foreign relations experience would surpass the majority of tthe other contenders.

The healthcare debacle? How was having the hootzpah to bring universal healthcare front and center as a National Issue back in 93' reflect negatively on her? The reason we are discussing it today is because of her roll in 93'. Could she have done better? Sure, but she learned a lot from that experience, she was only one year in as first Lady. Sheesh.

[mildewproduction]

I think he would validate Lincoln a lot more if he named McCain Secretary of Defense. Hillary as SOS? Not that much of a stretch that you'd compare it to Lincoln's team of rivals. Hyperbole.