Hillary is Officially Secretary of State

I suppose it would have been more of a surprise if the Obama transition team had managed to actually keep this under wraps. Oh well, it’s still a good pick.

As much as I intensely dislike Rush Limbaugh, he did make a good point regarding the (at the time) imminent nomination of Senator Clinton. “You know the old phrase, ‘You keep your friends close and your enemies closer?’ How can she run for president in 2012? She’d have to run against the incumbent and be critical of him — the one who made her secretary of state.” While I don’t think that was the original intention behind the pick, it certainly doesn’t hurt Obama that it makes her seeking re-election (which I don’t think she was intending to do anyways) all the more difficult.

Hillary, as I said earlier, brings a lot of foreign policy experience to a world much in need of peace and good diplomatic relations. In light of the Mumbai attacks, Hillary could prove to be instrumental in orchestrating a reasonable solution to the conflict, and prevent both countries from going to war (which as this point, still seems likely). The Clintons are still loved worldwide, so it can’t hurt to have a Clinton as the face of American diplomacy.

Keeping Robert Gates on hand was I think, a wise decision. It will keep conservatives at ease, for one thing. Gates will be the check on Obama’s foreign policy decisions and keep the administration from reaching for things that may not be reasonably within reach. Yet he has made headway in correcting the grievous oversights that occurred under Donald Rumsfeld, notably the Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal. This should set everyone at ease, and hopefully he will continue to keep things in check.

Janet Napolitano was officially confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security. Refer to my previous Obama appointments post for my analysis of that decision.

Eric Holder was confirmed as the new Attorney General nominee. Considering as he has, among other things, been Deputy Attorney General and , it seems like this a good fit. If confirmed, he will also be the first African American Attorney General. Pretty cool stuff.

Susan Rice is the next United States ambassador to the UN. She was Obama’s foreign policy adviser during the campaign and has served as Mike Dukakis’ foreign policy aide during his campaign as well as Assistant Secretary of State under Bill Clinton. Her father is also a Cornell professor, which is a big check in my book.

James L. Jones was named National Security Adviser. This wasn’t too much of a surprise since this was hinted even during the campaign by Obama. He has served in both Vietnam and the Gulf War, and is a decorated general, so his experience clearly will serve him well in this setting. Under the Bush administration, he has served as an envoy to the Middle East, primarily for the purpose of strengthening security for Israel and Palestine. Given that the Middle East is still a hotbed of activity, his expertise in that area should be a great asset to Obama’s security team.

More to come as the appointments roll in…