Obama to name Clinton secretary of state on Monday

Obama to name Clinton secretary of state on Monday

news.yahoo.com

President-elect Barack Obama planned to nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state on Monday, transforming a once-bitter political rivalry into a high-level strategic and diplomatic partnership.
Obama will name the New York senator to his national security team at a news conference in Chicago, Democratic officials said Saturday. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the transition team.

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Well, it's close to official now. One of the main hang-ups of the Obama team, one former president William Jefferson Clinton, and his varied associations since leaving office, has apparently been smoothed over.

To clear the way for his wife to take the job, former President Bill Clinton agreed to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997. He'll also refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference, and will cease holding CGI meetings overseas.
Bill Clinton's business deals and global charitable endeavors were expected to create problems for the former first lady's nomination. But in negotiations with the Obama transition team, the former president agreed to several measures designed to bring transparency to his post-presidential work.

So what does this mean for our United States?

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I’m not sure what kind of SoS Hillary would make. It seems that Obama is making a Lincoln like move with this appointment. Friends close, enemies closer? It’s easy to see why Hillary would want the job. It puts her in the White House hierarchy, and so in a better position for 2012 should something befall Obama. It will be interesting to watch.

Michael Rivero seems to think there may be a constitutional issue with her appointment.

Article One, Section Six of the U.S. Constitution says:
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.
Essentially, you cannot take a job if the salary was increased during your current congressional term. And the salary for cabinet officials has gone up in the past year. Even if it is lowered back down, constitutional scholars say that may not be enough to fix the problem.
The question is whether this would be an issue at confirmation - if Clinton is nominated to the post - and who would raise it. Senators traditionally grant their colleagues some deference and it could be considered politics at its worst if Republicans try to block her nomination with this argument. But senators may be loathe to vote for something scholars tell them is unconstitutional.
But the moment Obama makes the nomination, he violates the Constitution.

whatreallyhappened.com...

I’m not sure about this argument. Seems to me that all that would be necessary is for Hillary to agree to take the lower, previous wage.

Love that 'change'!

Seriously - she can do the job.
Richardson could do better.
But she'll be able to do the job.

WASHINGTON (AP) - It wasn't too long ago that Barack Obama and his advisers were tripping over one another to tear down Hillary Rodham Clinton's foreign policy credentials. She was dismissed as a commander in chief wanna-be who did little more than sip tea and make small talk with foreign leaders during her days as first lady. "What exactly is this foreign policy experience?" Obama said mockingly of the New York senator. "Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no.

apnews.myway.com...

All of the sudden she has "Experience" and the job is soon hers.