Madam Senator or Madam Secretary?

Hillary to be Secretary of State?
Obama wants her out of the Senate

New York Senator Hillary Clinton may be named secretary of state by the time you read this edition of Paulies Point. In what can only be described as a laughable failure of the American press, the British publication The Guardian is reporting that Clinton has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer for the position.

The decision by Obama to have Clinton serve as the face and voice of U.S. foreign policy is a brilliant move on many levels. First and foremost it gets her out of the Senate. The President-elect knows better than anyone how badly Hillary wants his soon to be job. As a Senator she can be the first person to point out his failures and by opposing one or two pieces of key legislation that passes the Congress, but fails after implementation, she could position herself brilliantly for a 2012 primary challenge. A door Ted Kennedy opened up when he challenged a sitting President of his own Party, Jimmy Carter, in 1980.

As secretary of state, Hillary will no longer have her own voice. She'll serve at the discretion of the President as his representative throughout the world. She may view this as an opportunity to pad her resume for another attempt at the Oval office, knowing full well Joe Biden won't be seeking the White House in 2016. By then Obama won't care what she does. His failures will be hers as well as his accomplishments.

What could be interesting is if Hillary decides to go rogue on Barack and act by her own accord. There are already reports surfacing that Obama is supportive of a middle-east peace plan suggested back in 2002 by Saudi Arabia. This disastrous initiative gives Syria back the Golan Heights and forces Israel to retreat to pre-1967 borders. Hillary could attempt to thwart this idea, which would allow her to make inroads amongst Evangelicals and hard line supporters of the Jewish state. But I don't believe this is the case.

Obama is tempting her with the idea that she can be part of history. The current incompetent leadership in Israel would agree to this suicide pact. In eight years she will be 69 years old and after John McCain's campaign at age 72, her comparable youth would not be an issue.

From a practical stand point your brilliant blogger believes Hillary would be a good secretary. While my friends on the right are cringing and feeling faint, please allow me to explain.

Clinton is not stupid or naive. Unlike the incompetent Madeline Albright, she will practice the words of Ronald Reagan, "trust but verify." While Albright would enjoy Champagne with Kim- Jong-il, Clinton would make sure her glass wasn't poisoned.

There is also no denying that the Clinton name carries respect world-wide. She will be able to take advantage of that reality. Her biggest obstacle will be handling orders from President Obama. Hopefully he will take advice from her, realizing he is a novice when it comes to foreign policy.

Lets get the acceptance confirmation first.

Paulie