REPLIES TO THE CURRENT QUESTION

Our question last week was:

Should President-elect Obama appoint Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, and why?

Here are your answers.  The name of a writer is included only if he or she actually placed a name at the end of the message.  Otherwise, we assume the writer wished anonymity and "name withheld" is inserted.

Sure.  Change we can believe in.  Appoint the wife of the last Democratic president, who, with her husband's international shenanigans carries more baggage than a Pullman porter.  Let's start the demise of the Obama presidency early.

I can't believe Obama would make such a mistake.  He's just being Lucy with the football.  He did it for the VP to mollify her supporters and he's doing it again for the same reason.  The scary part is she 's much better qualified than John Kerry, the other rumored appointee.

Alan Weick

First, he can nominate anyone he wants.  Second, of the names being bandied about in the media, Hillary stands out as the cream of the crop.  John Kerry, US Secretary of State, simply doesn't resonate,  He would make a far better dog catcher.  Others, seem to have similar qualifications.  Since we can't expect the "President-elect" to appoint someone qualified like John Bolton, for instance, why not bring someone on board who is least un-qualified?  The morning headlines say that he is sucking up all of the old Clinton folks that he can, in the interests of "Change", of course, why not add the penultimate Clintonista to his staff.  After all, he would get "two for the price of one" even if they would be polar opposites on foreign policy.  In her first press conference, she could explain all of the strange bed-fellows with whom her husband has been involved since he left the Presidency.  I meant that in the foreign policy sense, of course.  Otherwise...  I'll not be going there.

Just think of the potential for disruption in an Obama administration!  I suspect, though that the thinking among those suggesting her among the Obama advisors, is the notion that they can better keep an eye on her if she were to be in the position of Secretary of State.  On the other hand, it would also  burnish her credentials for a run at the Presidency in the future if Obama stumbles.  

In summary, it is hard to be serious about potential staff  people for a man who picked Joe Biden to be his Vice President.  With luck, he'll find someone to bring adult leadership into the foreign policy business.  Hillary could be that person.  She is smart, does her homework, puts in long hours, considers all alternatives and then makes bad decisions.  What better qualifications are there for a Foggy Bottom Denizen.

Don Newell