Obama Cabinet Disappointment- HRC

While I think it's generally a good thing that Obama is picking pragmatists for his cabinet, the one disappointment thus far, for me at least, has been his likely pick of Sen. Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State.  She is a qualified politician, however, as a diplomat she might be lacking.  She will already have ins, as a result of her husband Former President Bill Clinton, yet this could be a bad thing.  People might know he on Bill's terms, as opposed to Obama's. 

My second problem with Hill as Sec of State is the fundamental differences she has with Obama in terms of foreign policy.  While Obama isn't exactly a dove, Hillary is hawkish, saying tough statements during the primary about attacking Iran, being ready to "obliterate" it.  While Iran is a dangerous nation, it seemed that there could be a sort of  thawing of relations with them under Obama, as opposed to continually keeping them under the gun, which in turn will make them more aggressive.  Hopefully, she won't hurt Obama's foreign policy plans by imposing too much of her own style into them.  While Iran certainly needs to be contained on our terms, we cannot throw around words like "obliterate", which only make the situation worse.

My final problem is what she could be doing as an alternative to being Sec. of State.  In the Senate, she could have become a true beast, wielding an incredible amount of authority almost on part with Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy.  She is not as trained in diplomacy as she is in politics, and if she were to stay put in the Senate, her influence would only increase over time.

Besides feeling a need to give Hillary a good position after what she did in the General Election, Obama might also be making a tactical move for 2012.  With his only foreseeable challenger, HRC, in his cabinet, he is almost certainly eliminating her from contention in 2012, as it would be hard to run against him after being part of the administration.

Only time will tell how this very soon to be appointment of Sen. Clinton to Sec. of State will turn out.  Hopefully, she won't be as hawkish as she was in the primary.