Hi all, why is Obama picking Hillary for Secretary of State?
I know I'm biased for Obama, but putting myself in his shoes, I think I know his rationale for choosing Hillary as his SecState. We know she is a powerful personality with a lot of political drama attached to everything she does. She also has a lot of powerful connections on her own and through her husband throughout the entire world. She can be a big friend or a big enemy, depending on how Obama treats her. If she were to keep her seat in the Senate, she could make trouble for him at every step of the way as he tries to implement his centrist agenda.
For example, he could have picked her for his Health Secretary, given her passion for HealthCare. However, Hillary's plan is very socialist and Obama's plan is centrist and makes fewer use of mandates, with the exception of children's health care, and more use of market dynamics and technology to bring costs down. So Obama picked someone who will implement his more moderate Health Care plan instead of Hillary.
So what to do with Hillary, if not in HealthCare? He needed to throw her a big bone to mollify her ego and to make sure she doesn't turn into a "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" enemy. What skills does she have that could be used to his advantage? What post would keep her close to him, so he can keep an eye on her, but far enough away from him so he can get his agenda done while minimizing Clinton interference?
If put in that context, the answer becomes crystal clear. Making Hillary Secretary of State will ensure she is traveling the world most of the time and away from D.C. In addition, it will make very good use of her connections and her and her husband's political acumen. I think he just managed to kill a few birds with one stone.
If this is the kind of brilliant decision making we can expect from Obama, we're in for a real treat over the next 4-8 years. |
