Secretary of State Hillary Clinton--The Healing Process Continues

Although President-Elect Barack Obama has not made any official announcement, the unofficial word is that he intends to appoint Senator Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State. The unofficial word has led to copious amounts of "unofficial" reactions. From my perspective, our soon-to-be President has made an excellent choice on several levels.

By way of background, I was a Washington State pledged Clinton delegate to the National Convention in Denver. My 25 colleagues in the Clinton sub-caucus and I all "voted our conscience" as Hillary bade us to do, which is to say that we all voted for Hillary at the Convention. I can't speak for any of my other 25 colleagues, but the next night I became a devoted Obama supporter.

So how does a die-hard Clinton supporter feel about the prospect of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? I feel great about it. To steal a phrase from Vice President-Elect Biden, "let me repeat that: I feel great about it."

Why do I feel great about it? I have three reasons.

My first reason is that I think Hillary as Secretary of State is good for the country. She has great worldwide credibility from her days in the Bill Clinton White House, deservedly so, and has the perspective and sophistication to represent the United States to the world. If anyone can restore some credibility to the United States' internationally, Hillary is the one.

Second, it says something about Obama's confidence in his own Presidency, and about his skills as a leader. The current administration couldn't have made a bigger mess of things in so many areas if they tried. President Obama will need to work miracles in foreign policy, domestic policy, economic policy, and health care policy, among others. No one person has the necessary experience in all of those areas, which makes it crucial for the President to surround himself with those who can provide the necessary expertise . . . and to heed their advice.

A less confident leader would feel threatened by having someone like Hillary as part of his cabinet, especially after such a hard-fought campaign. But Obama "knows what he doesn't know," so to speak, and is smart enough to bring on board those who can fill in those gaps.

What I really like about Obama is that he has made some very wise decisions for the right reasons and without giving in to pressure. When Senator Biden made his first appearance in Denver as the Vice Presidential nominee, I felt saddened and gladdened: saddened that Senator Clinton was not selected, but gladdened by the presence of someone with Biden's foreign affairs credentials. Biden was a better choice because he supplied the experience that Obama lacked, and Obama made the right call.

I view appointing Hillary as Secretary of State as a similarly wise choice. He did not have to select Hillary; he could have chosen any number of qualified people without considering Hillary and few would have taken issue with his choice. But he chose the person who, in his view, possesses the talents necessary for the job.

My third reason is that it keeps Hillary politically relevant. One of my greatest fears throughout the Convention was that Hillary's role within the Democratic Party would shrink to nothing once the Convention ended. I think I can safely say that this particular fear has been laid to rest.

If the two protagonists in the most historic Presidential primary of our time can show such obvious mutual respect and admiration at the end of the day, then I think we are headed on the road back to greatness as a country.

Oh yeah, I feel great about it.