Obama Intends to "Hold-up" Hillary

The U.S. president-elect Barack Obama , who seldom creates sensational news, finally announced to the media that he may recruit his former political rival , the former first lady Hillary as Secretary of State. Although a formal invitation has not been extended, the two sides have been in positive interaction and the appointment appears more and more likely.

Last week, Obama’s team said Hillary would become one of the candidates for secretary of state. Following this announcement, the two immediately held secret talks in Chicago; though the content of the meeting was not disclosed, it must be related to this appointment. Many American politicians and political commentators are very excited at the news. Kissinger also gave public support to Hillary. “Time” magazine commented that the choice of Hillary is a wise tactic of Obama’s.

Hooking in ‘Clinton Group

To turn hostility into friendship has always been a tactic Obama employs . After the presidential election, he held talks with both Hillary and McCain, his two election rivals; and at least on the surface level they have reached consensus, which is unusual in the history of the U.S. presidential election. This successful tactic benefits Obama obviously and is one of the secret of his rapid rise in the political arena.

Moreover, Hillary is not an ordinary opponent, whose political forces and political energy can not be ignored. From a political sense, that Obama invited Hilary to join the cabinet is indeed “hitting several birds with one stone.”

By appointing Hillary as State Secretary, the most prominent position in the cabinet , this will strength the relationship and political alliance between these two. As former president’s wife, Hillary Clinton made her name known much earlier than Obama, both domestically and internationally. Besides Hillary’s eloquence , knowledge and capacity among American political figures is very prominent. More importantly, she represents a powerful political force of the Democratic Party . Clinton was in office for 8 years with widespread supporters. Even after Clinton stepped down, “Clinton Group” is still the strongest political faction within the Democratic Party.

In the course of forming the new cabinet, the dependence on former Clinton group members is obvious. The reason is simple. Over the past 28 years, the Democratic Party had been in opposition for 20 years, hence there are not many democratic members with the state-level administrative experience. The few with both experience and at the proper age are mostly from Clinton’s administration.

After the failure of the pre-selection, when Hillary once asked to be the vice-presidential candidate , her wish was not granted. Now, I am afraid that only if she is appointed as the secretary of state can her supporters’ discontent is quelled. Also by appointing her as secretary of state, the former Clinton members would support Obama more wholeheartedly.

To make up for his own disadvantage

Though Hillary is not a foreign affairs expert, yet she is very well-informed, efficient and capable. More importantly, as Mrs. Clinton, she has high visibility in the international community and she knows many world leaders. Just as some American political commentators have said, Hillary may not have much practical experience of foreign affairs, but she has visited more than 80 countries and regions, which in itself is a great advantage for her.

From the viewpoint of political ideal, Hillary Clinton is pragmatic, and she is unlikely to go to extremes for political slogans. As the Obama team is full of spirit of idealism , many countries are worried that his foreign policy team will follow a very liberal and idealistic line. So if Hillary has the final say in the foreign affairs, she will be able to, to a certain extent, help Obama maintain the continuity of U.S. foreign policy.

Let Hillary be the “insider”

This goes beyond Hillary’s working in Obama’s cabinet being equivalent to a “hold-up.” Hillary’s political ambitions are obvious to everyone . She may once again become the next general election opponent if she does not work for Obama. If Obama, within 4 years in power, has fallen short of expectations, the possibility of Hillary becoming his election rival will greatly increase.

However, if Hillary Clinton became an important member of the government, it is very difficult for her to cut the connections with Obama’s policy. It’s hard to imagine Hillary as the secretary of state and an insider who will challenge Obama in the next president election.