Secretary of State

President-elect Obama has announced that he will nominate Senator Clinton to serve as Secretary of State.

A charitable analysis reaches the conclusion that Senator Obama, who has expressed much admiration for President Lincoln, is following a similar 'Team of Rivals' strategy. That is, he is willing to assemble a cabinet of 'all the talents' and is confident that he can lead them effectively. If so, this is a refreshing change from the current administration whose selection criteria emphasized loyalty and ideology with little concern for competence.

For the more cynical, Senator Clinton's appointment proves an old political adage: "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Referring to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, President Lyndon Baines Johnson's version of this was, characteristically, much more basic: "better to have him inside the tent, pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in."

Whatever Senator Obama's motivation, he has effectively removed the threat of a 2012 primary challenge by Senator Clinton and, quite possibly, ended her political career. Whether she has the skills to be an effective Secretary of State remains an open question.