Should Hillary Accept the Secretary of State Position?

November 14, 2008

Democratic officials have announced Barack Obama offered Sen. Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State.

While there's been much speculation that Clinton was among Obama's top picks, she reportedly requested time to consider the offer. Clinton spoke at a transit industry conference in New York on Friday and held back from making any indication of her choice, saying "any inquiries should be directed to his transition team."

The Secretary of State is the highest-ranking cabinet secretary and head of the Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs.

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56 Comments

Rashanti 4 years 26 weeks

I'm a very strong supporter of Pres. Elect Obama. We made, I strongly believe, the most excellent choice for our country.My group of young voters campaigned very hard for him here in the Carolinas. However, should he pick Sen. Hillary Clinton, with all her skeletons (google Mena), for Sec. Of State, I will do everthing in my power to make sure he is not so greatly supported here in the Carolinas in 2012. If he wants to make ammends with the Clinton machine, may I suggest flowers.

ilanac13 4 years 26 weeks

i'm on the fence about this one. i did vote no - because i think that she would make a GREAT speaker of the house or whatever it is that the position is called. she has so much of a great future ahead of herself, and not that it can't happen, but we've yet to have secretary of state go for the running to be President.

Suzaila 4 years 26 weeks

I have to agree with bluesteyes, Clinton lacks the sensitivity towards other countries, especially those who are different from the US. As someone who is not an American, I truly hope that she turns the offer down. As for the comment ["... and there are a LOT of countries that will not deal with her because she's a woman."], which countries do u refer to? I seriously don't think things like that happens much anymore.

lorenashley 4 years 26 weeks

Nope, give it to richardson.

leeluvfashion 4 years 26 weeks

I think she would do a wonderful job as Secretary of State. However if she choose to stay with the Senate to continue working on domestic issues I understand. Either way, she will do fine.

HeatherStJoeMI 4 years 26 weeks

Thanks Bluesteyes.

bluesteyes 4 years 26 weeks

And is she smart, absolutely ! But is she a nice person? NO NO NO

bluesteyes 4 years 26 weeks

She is not fit for the job. She has no interest in world politics nor does she pretend to have any real sensitivity toward other nations. I would be hugely disappointed if she has said yes. Hilary voted yes on Iraq and wanted to play hard to countries with nuclear weapon. THIS SORT OF ATTITUDE NEEDS TO GO. The reason Obama has won was because he wanted to negotiate and understand more than imposing. I have also seen her lied on telly before. In a documentary she's lied about a conversation which she wasn't very nice to people when Bill was a governor. Hilary is a savvy woman with bad karma.

Shadowdamage 4 years 26 weeks

Well.... I too, agree, her passions seemed to lie with healthcare and not foreign policy. It will be interesting to see how this goes. But Hillary is bright and savvy and tough as oak, so I reckon whatever she is given, she can handle. As for the "countries won't deal with her because she's a woman"....most of those countries are probably ones the USA are currently refusing to speak to anyway. :ROTFL: There's a lot more women at the top of the political crop in other countries, Angela Merkel in Germany, President Halonen of Finland (you may remember her as looking like Conan O'Brien!) and Gloria Arroyo of the Phillipines. And of course as others have mentioned, there was the formidable Maggie Thatcher, whom scares people to this day. :D We'll see what happens.

reactionary 4 years 26 weeks

i'm not really sure if this is the position i want her in or not. but i feel like if given the opportunity, she would rock it.

PixiePup 4 years 26 weeks

I hope she accepts the job.

nicachica 4 years 27 weeks

I was a bit surprised to hear that she was offered the SOS position - frankly, i thought Bill Richardson would get it but I think it makes sense. And i really do like the thoughtful approach Obama is taking towards choosing the best people for the job and balancing it with people who may not always agree with him (i.e. Hillary). And while i've questioned why someone who i voted for on the platform of "Change" is choosing so many Clintonites (Podesta, Emmanuel), i have to say that Bill got these people when they were very young and they've learned their chops around DC which is not an easy town to crack. Yes, i want change but i think i want more change from the BUSH years than i do the Clinton years because frankly, things were a heck of a lot better under him than Bush! So to get experienced people who believe in the same things i do and know how to navigate the murky waters of DC is an extraordinarily smart thing to do. Go Obama! :)

kastarte2 4 years 27 weeks

"This is the only article I've seen anywhere saying she's been offered the position... how did citizensugar get this new 7 hours ago when all the other papers are still saying she's on the short list?" They linked from Huffpo. So who knows? All I know is that while Citizen was already claiming Clinton was offered the job, CNN was saying they discussed if she would accept the position if he asked her. I think that latter makes more sense at this stage.

Great Sommelier 4 years 27 weeks

Cali, I'm curious too. :ponder:

chatondeneige 4 years 27 weeks

Bad, bad, BAAAAAD idea. Richardson should have been offered the position, frankly.

Meike 4 years 27 weeks

["Woman has NO foreign affairs experience and there are a LOT of countries that will not deal with her because she's a woman." Right, because there's no such thing as a female leader...? I don't understand the reasoning behind that. And Hil is no Condi.] Agreed. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, has many dealings with foreign affairs to include countries from the Middle East. She's been given the same respect as her male counterparts. And, don't forget the Iron Maiden. Even if male-dominated countries don't want to deal with a leader just because she is a woman, they have to at least on a civil basis. I mean, they had to deal and meet occasionally with Bush whom many of them probably wanted to kill on the spot. Certain leaders, no matter their race, sex, or background, are able to command respect from even those who oppose them. And, I think Hillary is one such person.

cali_student 4 years 27 weeks

This is the only article I've seen anywhere saying she's been offered the position... how did citizensugar get this new 7 hours ago when all the other papers are still saying she's on the short list?

harmonyfrance 4 years 27 weeks

"weird zombie presence" :rotfl: I think that she would do a fantastic job. I think that her and Obama need to decide where she could do the most good though.

Jude C 4 years 27 weeks

Yeah, I think it's a full moon, now that you mention it. :ponder:

em1282 4 years 27 weeks

..and maybe it's a full moon or something, I don't know how else to explain the weird zombie presence on here with some comments...

em1282 4 years 27 weeks

"Woman has NO foreign affairs experience and there are a LOT of countries that will not deal with her because she's a woman." Right, because there's no such thing as a female leader...? I don't understand the reasoning behind that. And Hil is no Condi.