Joe Biden is reportedly Hillary Clinton's top pick for secretary of state
 
 
He doesn't know it yet, but Vice President Joe Biden is Hillary Clinton's top pick for secretary of state should she win the election, Politico reports.
A person familiar with her transition team's planning says Biden is at the top of the campaign's internal short list, but hasn't been told yet by Clinton or any of her aides. "He'd be great, and they are spending a lot of time figuring out the best way to try to persuade him to do it if she wins," the person told Politico. (Guess the news is out now.) Biden already has experience with traveling abroad and smoothing things over — in August, he was dispatched to Latvia by President Obama to meet with NATO allies after Donald Trump questioned the necessity of the U.S-European alliance.
Clinton and Biden haven't always seen eye to eye — they have disagreed on bombing Libya, leaving troops in Iraq, and the surge in Afghanistan — but Clinton reportedly appreciates the relationships Biden already has with world leaders. Politico reports other names being bandied about include former undersecretary of state Wendy Sherman; former deputy secretary of state Bill Burns; former undersecretary of state of political affairs under George W. Bush Nick Burns; and retired Adm. James Stavridis.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
 
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
- 
 The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st century The 5 best political thriller series of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends Viewers can binge on most anything, including espionage and the formation of parliamentary coalitions 
- 
 Sudan stands on the brink of another national schism Sudan stands on the brink of another national schismThe Explainer With tens of thousands dead and millions displaced, one of Africa’s most severe outbreaks of sectarian violence is poised to take a dramatic turn for the worse 
- 
 ‘Not every social scourge is an act of war’ ‘Not every social scourge is an act of war’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day 
- 
 Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariff Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax 
- 
 Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICE Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch 
- 
 Shutdown stalemate nears key pain points Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff 
- 
 Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan ad Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy 
- 
 NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footage NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges 
- 
 Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East Wing Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction 
- 
 Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 more Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters 
- 
 Trump demands millions from his administration Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations 
