Obama Moves Quickly Towards Clinton As Secretary of State

The presentation by Barack Obama of his economic team, along with the still unconfirmed appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, suggests that the elected President of the United States plans to govern from the center of his party despite it to have received the enthusiastic support from the democratic left, and prefers to surround itself with flexible and pragmatic people and the possibly experienced before ideologists. Obama is hurrying to cover the key positions of his government, convinced that the critical nature of the situation does not allow for many experiments or periods of waiting. So the Federal Reserve pushes it, announcing yesterday more shock measures, like the injection of 800 billion dollars in order to encourage consumers, without waiting for the economic package that Obama’s team is preparing.

Neither the decisive election of Timothy Geithner at the front of Treasury to be at the head of the recovery of the superpower’s economy, nor that of Lawrence Summers and Christina Romer as main presidential advisers are stirring up heated controversy. If the probabilities of overcoming the crisis depended only, or fundamentally, in the technical quality of the people, it could well be declared that Obama has been correct in the selection of his economic team of the Clintonion court. Even though Geithner, a pragmatic and neutral man, president of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, like Summers (both coming from the Department of Treasury under Bill Clinton) have played, from their respective positions, important roles in the erratic politics of Bush that have contributed to stopping the crisis. The experience shows that the curriculum is not being used as a sufficient tool to wisely channel economic politics, unless it tries to face up to the most severe recession since the Great Depression.

The bets change in the case of outside action. With the election, it is not yet official if Senator Clinton will be boss of diplomacy. The elected president enacts the teachings of his hero, Lincoln, well, such as the integration of his rivals, but he enters into a risky territory. The secretary of state is a position of greater visibility beyond the White House, something consistent with the fact that the political exterior of the United States spans over the entire planet. With Washington involved in two wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) and challenges of importance in Russia, Iran, the Middle East or China, its next holder will have to reconstruct the reputation of their country in the world.

Despite her brilliance, Clinton lacks the experience in a field where, otherwise, it is required above all to be her masters voice. Her appointment will satisfy the democratic establishment, but it will displease numerous Obama supporters who put in effort for him to win over Hillary and what she would represent in Washington. The two fundamental questions have to do with the compatibility between Obama and Clinton and the disposition of the ex-first lady to subordinate her ambition to the service of the new president. Maybe it will take a long time to establish itself.