It may not be official, but the worlds of news and politics are all abuzz with word that Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., will soon be announced as President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for the position of secretary of state.
The overwhelming amount of attention paid to the choice is not surprising. Clinton and Obama’s battle in the Democratic primary earlier this year will likely be the stuff of political legends for years to come. For many, Clinton’s performance in that contest — falling short by only the narrowest of margins — demanded that she be rewarded.
Seen in that light, the secretary of state position is the perfect choice. There are very few household names in a president’s cabinet. As important as the positions are, there is little publicity to be found in holding it.
However, secretary of state definitely stands out from the crowd. It’s unlikely that Clinton will fade from the media’s bright spotlight.
For Obama, the choice does a lot of good. Many people felt he should have picked Clinton to be his vice president. While secretary of state isn’t quite the equal of the vice presidency, it should help to bring those critics around as well as show that Obama recognizes exactly what Clinton achieved during the primary.
It also allows Obama to reward Clinton for her tireless support following her defeat. For a vanquished foe, Clinton certainly did a yeoman’s job helping to elect him to the presidency.
It will also likely defuse any chance that Clinton would challenge him in 2012. If Clinton becomes part of his administration, it becomes easy for Obama to tie her to any decision he makes, defusing potential attacks.
For Clinton, the position will allow her to remain relevant on the world stage. She will now find herself as the face of the U.S. abroad.
It will allow her to have a much greater say on what the nation’s foreign policy will be than she would as a simple senator. It should also give her a higher profile in both the media and American minds, given the importance of foreign relations following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The move should also be beneficial for the nation. In her time as first lady, Clinton likely had the opportunity to grow multiple relationships with foreign leaders. Those relationships will greatly assist Clinton as she attempts to implement Obama’s vision for the U.S.‘s future in the world.
It also cannot be denied that Clinton is unprepared for the job. If nothing else, the long primary forced her to get a handle on nearly all the aspects of the U.S.‘s foreign policy. She should be in a perfect position to hit the ground running.
In the end, though, nobody can fully predict what the result of this decision may be. Many had high hopes for Colin Powell when he took over as President George W. Bush’s first secretary of state. Unfortunately, we all saw what happened to him.
Hopefully, Clinton will be able to do a much better job and restore the U.S. to its rightful place in the world.
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