HRC at State
As Chris brings up in the comments, Hillary Clinton’s name has been floated as a possible candidate for Secretary of State.
There’s two competing theories at the moment. First, that it’s true — Obama is taking a page out of the Abraham Lincoln “Team of Rivals” approach and considering nominating his greatest rival in the Democratic party to a significant cabinet post.
Conversely, there’s a school of thought being promoted by Al Giordano and others that this is all just a ruse by the Clinton people to embarrass Obama and prevent the nominations of either John Kerry or Bill Richardson to the post, as the Clinton’s view Kerry and Richardson as traitors for backing Obama. Al makes his case here.
I’m personally in the “Team of Rivals” camp — I think nominating HRC to the position of Secretary of State would be a huge gesture of party unity, and a sign that Obama is confident enough in himself that he would appoint one of his political adversaries to his cabinet. I think Hillary Clinton would make a fine Secretary of State, and I would much rather see her in that role than Kerry or Richardson. It would also give the Clinton’s a vested interested in the success of an Obama administration and would reward her for putting her differences aside and campaigning for him relentlessly during the general election campaign. A win all around in my book.
But I never hated Hillary Clinton — I just didn’t want her to be President of the United States. A lot of other Obama supporters are still bitter, which is why they’re pushing this HRC as Machiavelli myth. If HRC was Machiavelli, she’d be the President-Elect right now. She’s not. Which leads me to believe that she probably is a serious contender for Secretary of State.
I’ve been wrong before, though, so who knows if I’m right about this. Three months from now it could be Chuck Hagel — but right now, I’m hoping this is true. If it is, it would be a great move and a grand political gesture that helps prove Obama’s argument that he is a concillatory figure. We’ll see.
