elect Barack Obama's choice of Treasury secretary may be of more immediate importance, there is no doubt that his apparent choice of his Democratic primary opponent Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State is far more intriguing. The rancorous finale of the primary process and Clinton's relative absence on the election campaign trail did not seem to bode well for their relationship, either professional or personal. Yet, Obama, in what has been a constant of his Cabinet selection process, showed himself to be supremely pragmatic and offered Hillary the job. There are, indeed, a number of pluses and minuses to the Clinton appointment, all of which were certainly examined in depth by the President-elect and his advisors. Much has been made of Clinton's independent streak and many felt that she would be an unwieldy member of an Obama Administration, especially with the oft-repeated “two-for-one” nature of a Clinton appointment, i.e. along with Hillary comes Bill. The idea, however, that Clinton would run a State Department that was somehow at odds with the foreign policy goals of the White House is absolutely ludicrous. Clinton, as became crystal clear in the primary debates, is the ultimate policy wonk. Not only did she and her advisors prepare their own detailed policies as part of her presidential run, she was completely knowledgeable of the details of her opponent's policies, as well. And there was not much difference between them. The Secretary of State is expected to carry out the policies of the United States, not create policies independent of the guiding hand of the White House. The Secretary of State must formulate foreign policy in conjunction with White House advisors who, ideally, listen carefully to the advice of career State Department employees, think tank intellectuals, intelligence services and military experts. Hillary Clinton may have been regarded as an “independent woman” for displaying the audacity of hope necessary for a woman to run for the White House. But to imagine that she is some kind of maverick who will take US foreign policy on a course she alone decides shows a lack of serious observation. __
