Madame Secretary?

Now that the election is over, we political junkies have turned to Cabinet post predictions to get our speculative fix. And the biggest names being bandied about have been in regards to the position of Secretary of State--with Gov. Bill Richardson and Sens. John Kerry and Chuck Hagel coming up the most, each having shown loyalty by either endorsing Obama early (in Richardson's and Kerry's cases) or not endorsing their party's nominee (in the case of Hagel, whose foreign policy I tend to like). But now, lo and behold, a bigger name has emerged--one Sen. Hillary Clinton, or so the reports would have us believe:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is among the candidates that President-elect Barack Obama is considering for secretary of state, according to two Democratic officials in close contact with the Obama transition team.

First, I have to believe this is true. For one, the Obama team has been very particular about their leaks so far during the transition. I don't think they'd let this leak out unintentionally--especially because they wouldn't want to risk pissing off the Hillary fans once more.

Second, were this to really happen, it could be a genius move on the part of the Democrats. Let's not forget that the Secretary of State position--not Vice President--used to be the stepping stone for the presidency back in the day (ok, this may have been way back in the day, but still) Those Clinton supporters still seething that Hillary was left off the ticket (if there are any, let's not forget Obama did pretty well last week) should be soothed. This would be a much better gig for Hillary than the Supreme Court (that would not be a pretty nomination fight, even if the Dems have a comfortable lead in the Senate) and we all know she really wants to be president anyway. So now, she can have a high profile gig at state for four or eight years and then run as the successor to Obama (Biden, like Cheney in 08, will not be a viable candidate in 2016. Or, another option--and one I suspected before this SoS rumor popped up--would be to sub in Hillary as veep in 2012. Biden's experience would no longer be necessary, and it would be another way to set up Hillary as successor. A lot could happen between now and then, but I wouldn't put it past Clinton and Obama to have this planned out...

For more, as always, Marc Ambinder has the details.

Back

Well, I'm back from Europe and while I never got around to blogging across the Atlantic (was on the go too much, and didn't bring my laptop) I hope to start writing more here soon. I've got the writing itch, and have some time to kill before heading off for Costa Rica in January. And, of course, I'll be blogging to keep you posted on my exploits and explorations during my four months down there.

GOP's last action hero?

With all the talk about who will rise up to lead the Republican Party out of the desert, there's been one large figure conspicuously absent. Yes, he's constitutionally forbidden to run for president (that can be changed) and yes, he was on CNN last night talking about how he never envisioned himself as a party leader. But I'm somewhat surprised that I haven't heard Arnold Schwarzenegger's name bandied about at all as a potential GOP standard bearer.

The biggest reason, I think, is that the GOP's coalition of Wal Mart social conservatives and country club fiscal conservatives fell apart this election. And, with the economy in the tank for the foreseeable future, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't come back together again any time soon. Sarah Palin could represent the Wal Mart Republicans, and, should the economy continue to slide, could make a move if consensus grows for more economic populism. Someone like Mitt Romney, on the other hand (while still claiming the mantle of social conservatism) would have a tough time with his background as a strict, although competent, capitalist.

So where does that leave Arnold, and other moderates like McCain (well, he used to be moderate) and former Republican Michael Bloomberg? It depends how much a leftward swing the country has really taken. In states like California and New York, moderates like Arnold and Bloomberg were the only non-Democrats that stood a chance. But nationally, the country is still much more conservative. There's a tough choice facing Obama and the Democrats: should they try to co-opt moderates like Schwarzenegger and bring them into the fold? Or should they empower them as a palatable opposition, a much better choice to a radical conservative foe?

If the Republicans are smart, they'd recognize the country's centrist turn and look to someone like Schwarzenegger to sell the GOP brand. I'd much rather see a push for a constitutional amendment to allow a foreign-born citizen to run for president, instead of something divisive like banning gay marriage or abortion. After all, how could Democrats, with their president with the foreign-sounding name, say no? Then again, I wouldn't hold my breath for Republicans to do the smart thing.