Hillary Clinton and Obama's cabinet

Here's some news that's bound to please Hillary fans, said Leo Standora in the New York Daily News. President-elect Barack Obama is considering naming Sen. Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state. Clinton flew to Chicago Thursday night on what advisers said was "personal business." The relationship between the former rivals has certainly improved since the primaries, but putting someone who voted to authorize the Iraq war in charge of foreign policy would certainly be an "about-face" for Obama.

The "primary battles" between Obama and Clinton shouldn't be an obstacle, said Marc Ambinder in The Atlantic online. As a member of the Senate Armed Services committee and a former first lady, Clinton "is on a first-name basis with world leaders and generals." That's why news of her Chicago trip "has already made worldwide headlines."

Hillary would still be an odd choice, said Allahpundit in Hot Air. John Kerry or Bill Richardson would do just as well. Besides, Obama already has veterans of Bill Clinton's administration on board as chief of staff (Rahm Emanuel) and head of his transition team (John Podesta). Why did Democrats "nominate Hopenchange" instead of Hillary "if we're only going to get Clinton retreads anyway?"

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The real stumper is why Hillary would "give up what is in all likelihood a senate seat for life to run the State Department for Barack Obama," said Josh Marshall in Talking Points Memo. And it certainly won't make it any easier for Hillary to snatch the Democrats' 2012 presidential nomination from a sitting president. "I don't have an answer on why either party would want this appointment."