Obama’s Best Decision

On January 20, Barack Obama, President of the United States, will celebrate exactly two years in office, half of his presidential term. There may be varying opinions as to what the best decision Obama has made over the course of these last two years may be, but the author states without any hesitation that it was the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. This is not related to Obama’s image, his willingness to embrace his former rival in the Democratic primary elections. The results speak for themselves. The passion and competence that Clinton has shown as Secretary of State have been a veritable boon to the Obama administration, clearly affirming his appointment as a superior choice.

A former first lady and later presidential candidate that came within inches of the White House, Hillary Clinton is certainly “presidential material”. This can sometimes make her look like quite the big fish in the little pond that is the State Department. There was concern at first that putting Clinton in such a position, especially after the memorable primary elections, would cause unneeded friction with Obama. However, this turned out to be groundless worry.

Clinton has adhered surprisingly well to Obama’s foreign policy philosophy. She has managed, furthermore, to introduce her own brand of “smart power” diplomacy, playing off her iron will. This is exemplified in her efforts to shift the United States’ foreign policy from a unilateral platform to a multilateral one, to promote an open diplomacy of free dialogue with other countries and to strengthen ally relations. Clinton also instituted the first four-year “diplomatic development strategy” in the history of the State Department. She has demonstrated through her actions that she has forgotten all past bitterness and is fully committed to her work. Sung Kim, United States Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks admits to being “surprised at [Clinton’s] dedication to every single matter, despite an overwhelming schedule.”

Clinton has traveled the globe with a frequency belying her 60 years. On the first day of the new year, while even Obama was on vacation, Clinton made the trip to Brazil to attend the swearing in of that country’s new president. Her presence has a similar effect to that of Obama himself. It shows other countries that the United States cares about them. With such a competent partner playing such a pivotal role, Obama has been able to concentrate on other international issues as well as other domestic ones, such as his health care reform initiatives.

Clinton, from the proverbial sidelines, has nursed a style even more impressive than Obama's, for whom she expends her energy. But she is also capable of adjusting her emotions to suit the occasion. Last November Obama, in a press conference following his party’s loss in the midterm elections, showed his anger in the face of reporters’ onslaught of questions. Right afterward, perhaps embarrassed at himself, he smiled bitterly. On the other hand, Clinton never lost her cool. If the saying that a leader should never show surprise or strong negative emotions in front of the people is true, then Clinton would have scored 100 percent. From her dress to her gait to her facial expression, Clinton showed that she was absolutely in control of the situation, lacking no gumption whatsoever.

The author no longer feels the aura of a first lady in Clinton, but rather feels the importance of a politician who has transformed into a capable and dignified pillar of strength in the American government.