Written on Friday, November 21st, 2008 at 4:04pm by Alan Bedenko | 11 Comments

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

That’s what the New York Times is saying.

There was much consternation earlier today on the local Obama listserv, where some people were displeased with the notion that Obama might select Clinton for Secretary of State. I suggested that the axiom, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” might very well have been at least part of Obama’s thinking on this cabinet selection. With Clinton out of the Senate, and within his inner circle, Obama has managed to keep potential Clintonite shenanigans under his roof, rather than someone else’s.

It was also brought up that Clinton’s positions on foreign policy were oftentimes different from Obama’s own. While this is true, as Secretary of State, Clinton will have to promote the Obama foreign policy – not hers. Also, there’s loads of historical precedent for a President to select his chief intra-party rival for this particular position.

Frankly, it’s a stroke of genius.

Now, the question is – whom will Governor Paterson select to replace Clinton as junior Senator from New York?

Naturally, I’d love to see our own Brian Higgins (NY-27) switch over to the other chamber. I think it’d be great for Western New York, and that he has the experience and record to justify it. Chances are greater that someone from downstate might be selected, since Erie County has a million people and the five boroughs have eight times that. Others have suggested Byron Brown, but setting aside petty squabbling between City Hall and ECDC, Brown simply doesn’t have the experience or record to justify a jump to the United State Senate.

It sure doesn’t get boring around here, does it?

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11 Comments

  1. The Humanist says:
    November 21, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    Another upside to naming Hillary as Secy of State is it takes any thought of “Hillary in 2012″ off the table.

    I, for one, applaud the decision…I think she’ll make an excellent SofS. The Clinton cache she’ll bring to the position is a huge advantage.

  2. marc odien says:
    November 21, 2008 at 4:31 pm

    A little Premature but I’m sure the writing is on the wall:

    “We’re still in discussions, which are very much on track. Any reports beyond that are premature.”

    - Philippe Reines, Senior Advisor, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

  3. mike hudson says:
    November 21, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    wow…obama’s idea of “change” was to hire the entire former clinton administration to run the country for him. whoda thunk it? the kid’s a freakin genius, i tell ya!

  4. indabuff says:
    November 21, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Obama went from State Senate to US Senate without much a record in IL…Byron Brown was a New York Senate member…is mayor of a large city…and is a friend in Paterson…both his senate election and mayoral election were historic achievements…1st black NY senator from outside NYC…first black mayor of Buffalo…though Buffalo isn’t out of the water financially, the city has made a number of different strides to right its financial ship, seems in better shape than when he took office and does have a record to run on.

  5. Dave A. says:
    November 21, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    Obama’s a shrewd politician. But I have to believe that his choice of Clinton had more to do with his faith in her ability to do the job than a need to neuter a political enemy.

    It’s a scary world out there, and to sent the wrong person out there to face down Putin or Chinese Premier Jiabao, or to tread a fine line with Afghanistan and Pakistan would be a betrayal of the American people.

    Personally, I think Clinton is well-suited for the job. If she proves not to be, I’ll be the first person to stand up screaming.

  6. Timothy Domst says:
    November 21, 2008 at 8:56 pm

    Since “Clintonite shenanigans” = good, responsible government (sexcapades don’t rate in my book) I am hoping there are plenty of them.

  7. mike hudson says:
    November 21, 2008 at 9:00 pm

    paterson appoints brown or higgins senator and gets…nothing.

    brown appoints andrew cuomo senator and gets a huge downstate fan base (i.e. money) he’s gonna need if he actually wants to be the elected governor of new york state. plus cuomo’s already served in washington as a member of bill clinton’s cabinet. and his dad was that beloved commentator on ken burns baseball show. plus he won’t challenge paterson in the democratic primary. and his kids are kennedys.

    tough choice facing our fabulous blind governor!

  8. Dave A. says:
    November 21, 2008 at 9:58 pm

    Whoever gets appointed will have to win a 2010 election to keep the seat. The governor is going to have to pick someone with statewide name recognition, and the ability to raise a lot of money in a short amount of time. Cuomo would probably be a safe pick. I’ve also heard Robert Kennedy Jr’s name thrown around.

    I haven’t heard who the Republicans would run, but I’m guessing they’re going to pull out all the stops. Guliani want to run for Governor, but they might have a chance if they can recruit Bloomberg.

  9. Dave A. says:
    November 21, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    Another name Paterson may surprise people with – Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, if she still lives in Brooklyn (and maybe even if she doesn’t). She’s one of the few Kennedy’s who hasn’t embarassed herself with some kind of scandal, she has a law degree from Columbia, wrote two books on civil liberties, and is active with several foundations. She was on Obama’s VP-vetting team, and has been mentioned as a candidate for sec of education. She’s smart, well-connected, has the Kennedy name, and could win in 2010.

  10. mike hudson says:
    November 22, 2008 at 8:58 pm

    i mean, how great is this obama guy?

    secretary of state hillary clinton.

    chief white house counsel greg craig (defended clinton in impeachment).

    attorney general eric holder (engineered clinton’s marc rich pardon).

    senior economic advisor larry summers (clinton treasury secretary, disgraced former harvard president).

    treasury secretary timothy geithner (clinton undersecretary of the treasury).

    now this is change i can believe in!!!!!

  11. hank says:
    November 22, 2008 at 10:25 pm

    MIke H
    It’s not “Change you can believe in”
    It’s “CHANGE FROM OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY”.

    You see 8 years ago, all these shit-birds moved out of the beltway,
    and that makes them “Outside the Beltway”.

    Now they’re all moving back in.

    I heard a lot before the election about the new, fresh, look an Obama administration would have.

    Why the fuck not bring Madeline Albright back as Sec of State. She’s got more experience in foreign affairs than Hillary. Doesn’t say much for Hillary, I’ve got as more experience than Hillary….

    I got to talk with people while I humped 90 lbs of gear and a rifle through Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Phillipines, Norway, and a few sandy spots. Hillary campaigned in Puerto Rico for about a week this year.

    I LIVED there for THREE YEARS.

    I did more than wave for the cameras getting on and off aircraft, which is all the experience I’ve ever seen with Hillary.

    She’s not without experience though, don’t get me wrong.

    One of her former law partners who followed her to DC ended up dead from causes still not determined,and probably never will be.

    She tried to get health-care reform through a democrat controlled congress, and FAILED MISERABLY.

    She carpetbagged her ass to NY, a state she never lived in for 5 minutes before running for Senate, and her experience there has been trying to explain away her vote on the Iraq War Resolution for the last 5 years.

    EXCELLENT CHOICE—-obviously one of our senior and experienced elder statesmen.