Essentially Contested America

There’s speculation that President-elect Obama intends to select Senator Clinton for Secretary of State. If so why? One reason might be to repay her for so energetically campaigning for him in the general election. Another reason might be because she presumably has a great deal of knowledge how international relations operate. She is, as they say, an internal celebrity in her own right. Of course there might be a multiplicity of reasons. There’s one reason no one has yet identified. President-elect Obama might realize the amount of time and energy he need will need to spend on an economy that seems to continue to spiral downward. Clinton would be a smart pick if he wants someone who can begin immediately to implement his foreign policy decisions.  He might wish to delegate more responsibility than usual to foreign affairs so that he can devote his time to the single most dangerous threat to America: the failing financial and economic systems. Perhaps he believes Clinton is the best person to satisfy a more muscular ministry. One problem, of course, is whether President Obama can keep Secretary of State Clinton in check.  Will she understand clearly that she will be working for the President and not develop a reckless independence on her own?

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 2:38 pm and is filed under International Relations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.