Where Will Clinton Fit in Obama’s Plan?

Word on the street is that President-elect Barack Obama’s administration is vetting Hillary Clinton for secretary of state.
If that’s not a blow to Clinton’s ego, we’re not really sure what would be.
After eight years as First Lady and the failure of her major healthcare policy under her husband’s administration, she developed a taste for national politics, moved to New York and ran for her first term as Senator.
After a subsequent Senate term, she decided to run for the Democratic nomination for President. She fought tooth and nail, polarized the Democratic party, and finally lost to Obama.
And as if that loss wasn’t enough, she was overlooked for Vice President in favor of Senator Joe Biden, despite the opinion of many pundits that she was a shoo-in.
Clinton supported Obama in the general election, encouraging her own supporters who had flocked to McCain in frustration to come back to the Democratic Party and vote for Obama on Nov. 4.
Now, after Obama’s successful bid for the Presidency, Clinton is finally being considered for a position in the White House after two years of fighting for it.
That’s got to sting. Secretary of state is a prestigious position to be sure, but it’s something of a second place finish after this past election season. It doesn’t help that pundits keep asking her how she feels to watch Obama debate after making it “oh-so-close” (Wolf Blitzer’s question to her following one of the debates).
Still, we shouldn’t forget Clinton’s behavior in the primary. She looked like a good candidate on paper for the Democrats, but her manipulative, mud-slinging campaign made her policies less important. And let’s certainly not forget her Iraq War vote. She was in favor of the invasion despite faulty information and less-than-solid reasoning, but later changed her mind and now protests the war and wants to end it.
But her change of heart reflects more than just a differing opinion—there were plenty of politicians who didn’t buy into Bush’s world plans. Clinton just wasn’t one of them. We think Obama’s other appointments, like Rahm Emanuel for chief of staff and Tom Daschle for health and human services secretary, were wise, and he’s obviously surrounding himself with seasoned politicians who have plenty of experience, something Obama needs coming into his Presidency.
But Clinton for secretary of state just doesn’t inspire the same confidence. Sure, she’s got the experience Obama needs, but at what cost?